2021 Football Roster
Roster
Matt Coghlin
- Position:
- K
- Ht./Wt.:
- 5-9 / 190
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- High School:
- Archbishop Moeller
Five-year letterwinner (2017-21) had a record-setting career with the Spartans . . . set school records for most points scored (382) and most field goals made (76) . . . also finished his career ranked among the school’s all-time leaders in PAT percentage (first at 100 percent, 148-of-148), PATs made (third with 148), field-goal attempts (first with 104), field-goal percentage (fifth at 73.1 percent) . . . his 76 field goals rank second most in Big Ten history, trailing only Penn State’s Kevin Kelly (78 from 2005-08), and his 382 points rank sixth most . . . returned to MSU for a sixth season in 2021 and played in a school-record 57 games during his career, along with teammate Jacub Panasiuk . . . finished his career 148-for-148 in PATs, becoming just the 28th player in FBS history to make 100 percent of his PAT attempts (minimum of 100) . . . earned All-Big Ten honors all five of his seasons (2018: first team; 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021: honorable mention) . . . five-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, just one of five players in program history to earn that distinction . . . set a school record with 18 straight field goals (Nov. 4, 2017 to Oct. 27, 2018), which was also tied for the fourth-longest streak in Big Ten history . . . earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors four times in his career (vs. Penn State in 2017, vs. Indiana in 2018, vs. Northwestern in 2020, vs. Indiana in 2021) . . . had five game-winning field goals in his career (34-yarder as time expired to beat No. 7 Penn State in 2017; 21-yarder with five seconds left to defeat Indiana in 2019; 33-yarder with 2:14 remaining to beat Maryland in 2019; 48-yarder with 3:35 remaining to beat Northwestern in 2020; 21-yarder in overtime to beat Nebraska in 2021) . . . had 22 career games with at least two field goals made, including a stretch of five in row that was snapped at Iowa in 2020 . . . had 23 career field goals of 40+ yards and two of 50+ yards . . . graduated from the business school with his bachelor’s degree in finance in December 2020 and earned his master’s degree in business analytics in December 2021.
2021 SEASON (GRADUATE SENIOR): Earned honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media . . . collected Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the fifth time . . . ranked third on the team in scoring with 77 points (12 field goals, career-high 41 PATs) . . . was 12-of-19 on field goals and 41-of-41 on PATs . . . also handled kickoffs, averaging 63.4 yards with touchbacks on 41 of his 53 kicks (77 percent; 13th best in FBS) . . . had a streak of 22 straight touchbacks during the first four games of the season . . . suffered an injury during the last month of the season and was limited in his last four games while missing the Purdue game on Nov. 6 . . . became Michigan State’s all-time leading scorer with his first extra point of the game in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, surpassing Brett Swenson for the top spot in the school record books . . . also connected on a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and kicked his second PAT of the game with 22 seconds left that gave MSU a total of 31 points in the 31-21 win over No. 12 Pitt . . . had a 22-yard field goal and made both of his PATs on Senior Day vs. Penn State before leaving the game with an injury . . . was in limited duty for second game in a row at Ohio State, booming one kickoff and attempting one field goal . . . returned to limited duty in Maryland game, only handling PATs and possible FGs, making all four PATs, but did not handle any kickoffs . . . did not play in Purdue game due to injury . . . was 3-for-3 on PATs in Michigan game and did not attempt a field goal for the first time this season . . . had two of three longest field goals of career in game at Indiana, tying a career-high with a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter, matching 51-yarder vs. Michigan in 2020, adding a 49-yarder in the fourth quarter, along with two PATs and five kickoffs for a 65.0 ypk average with four touchbacks . . . named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance at Indiana . . . broke the MSU career field goal record with a 35-yarder in the fourth quarter of the Rutgers game, for his 72nd career upright split, and was also 4-of-4 on PATs and had six kickoffs for a 64.2 ypk average with three touchbacks on a windy, blustery New Jersey afternoon . . . was 2-for-2 on field goals in the Western Kentucky game, tying the MSU all-time record for FG made, and tied career-high for second time this season and fourth time in career going 6-for-6 on PATs, and also had nine kickoffs with a career-high eight touchbacks . . . connected on 3-of-4 field goals, including the fifth game-winning field goal of his career with a 21-yarder in overtime of Nebraska game, adding two PATs, as well as five kickoffs with first four going four touchbacks, before streak of consecutive touchbacks came to end after having to kickoff from the 20 after MSU penalty on previous TD . . . made five PATs and was 1-of-2 on FGs at Miami, adding a touchback on all seven kickoffs for second game in a row . . . tied career-high by making all six PATs in Youngstown State win, missing lone FG attempt, a 50-yarder in third quarter, and also had seven kickoffs with all going for touchbacks . . . was 1-for-2 on field goals in season-opening win at Northwestern, missing a 60-yard attempt as time expired in the first half, before splitting the uprights from 37-yards out in the fourth quarter also made all five PAT attempts, finishing with eight points, and also had seven kickoffs for a 62.7 ypk average with four touchbacks.
2020 SEASON (REDSHIRT SENIOR): Honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and the media . . . was 13-of-13 on PATs and 9-of-12 on FGs, with streak of 107 straight PATs . . . also had 25 kickoffs for 61.6 ypk average with nine touchbacks . . . ranked tied for fourth in the Big Ten with nine field goals made (1.7 pg) . . . ranked fifth in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (9-of-12, .750) . . . led MSU in scoring with 40 points (5.7 pg) . . . had three multi-field goal outings this season, all with three upright splits each time (Rutgers, Michigan and Northwestern) . . . had at least one field goal made in five of the seven games . . . made at least one FG of 40+ yards in three games . . . split the uprights on a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter and added three PATs at Penn State, topping the 300-point career milestone . . . was 1-of-1 on his lone field goal and PAT attempts in Ohio State game, adding three kickoffs for 64.0 ypk average with season-high tying two touchbacks . . . named Big Ten Special Teams Co-Player of the Week and one of Lou Groza National Placekicker Award Stars of the Week after making 3-of-4 field goals in Northwestern game, including the game-winner from 48 yards out with 3:35 left in the game that put MSU on top, 23-20, in the eventual 29-20 win, and also connected from 44 yards and 22 yards, as well as 2-of-2 on PATs and added six kickoffs for a 60.3 ypk average with one touchback . . . had one kickoff in Indiana game, going for a touchback, for first game without a point and did not attempt at least a PAT or FG attempt in all 42 career games played . . . made lone PAT at Iowa, while missing only FG attempt, from 48 yards in windy conditions . . . split the uprights from a career-long 51 yards in the third quarter at Michigan, for his first career field goal of 50+ yards, bettering his previous high of 49 yards vs. Utah State (8/31/18) . . . logged second game of season and fifth straight game dating back to last season with multiple field goals, going 2-of-3, making from 27 and 51 yards . . . made all three PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals in Rutgers game, making FGs of 45 and 48, both coming in the last few minutes of the first half, splitting uprights from 45-yards out with 3:13 on the second quarter clock, then making 48-yarder with no time on clock before halftime . . . has at least one 40+ yard field goal in each of the last three season-openers, as he had the 49-yarder vs. Utah State in 2018 opener, then made three from 40+ yards vs. Tulsa in 2019 (47, 44, 40) and then two in 2020 opener (45, 48).
2019 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Earned honorable mention All-Big Ten (media) . . . garnered Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the third year in a row . . . was a perfect 31-of-31 on PATs . . . made a career-high 22 field goals, tied for second most in MSU single-season history . . . the 22 field goals also ranked second in the Big Ten and tied for 11th in the FBS in 2019 . . . ranked second in the Big Ten and eighth in the FBS with 1.83 field goals per game . . . also ranked among the Big Ten leaders in PAT percentage (first at 100 percent), kick scoring (third with 8.1 ppg) and scoring (fifth with 8.1 ppg) . . . scored a career-high 97 points, 18th most in MSU single-season history . . . made a career-best eight field goals in 40-49 yard range . . . was 22-of-32 (.688) overall on field-goal attempts . . . the 32 field-goal attempts tied for the most in an MSU single-season and ranked fourth most in the FBS in 2019 . . . had seven games with at least two field goals made, including a career-high tying four against Tulsa and Maryland . . . made 2-of-3 field goals in New Era Pinstripe Bowl win over Wake Forest, including a 23-yarder in the first quarter and a 44-yarder in the second quarter . . . tied a career high with four field goals (40 yards in first quarter, 36 in second quarter, 32 and 33 in fourth quarter) in win over Maryland, kicking the game-winner with 2:10 left to put MSU on top, 19-16, marking third career game-winning field goal (2017 vs. Penn State; 2019 vs. Indiana) . . . it also marked third career game with four field goals (2017 at Rutgers; 2019 vs. Tulsa) . . . split the uprights on 3-of-3 PATs and 2-of-3 on FGs at Rutgers, making 46-yarder in first quarter, before missing on a 33-yarder in second quarter, hitting left upright, then connecting from 36-yards out in the third quarter . . . made lone field goal and lone PAT attempt in Michigan, splitting uprights on 35-yard field goal . . . made all four PATs and was 2-for-2 on FGs in Illinois game, making a 23-yarder in the third quarter and a 46-yarder in the third quarter, his second-longest of the season . . . split uprights on lone PAT in Penn State game, getting 46-yard FG attempt blocked in second quarter . . . made lone PAT and was 1-for-2 on FG attempts (made 39-yarder; missed 27-yarder) at Ohio State . . . was 4-for-4 on PATs in Indiana game, as well as 2-for-3 on FG attempts (missed 43-yarder, made 44-yarder, made 21-yarder), with the 21-yarder coming with :05 on the clock to seal the victory for MSU for his second career game-winning FG, and also kicked off first two times of career, with one touchback . . . was 4-for-4 on PATs and 1-of-2 on FG attempts (missed 40-yarder; made 26-yarder) in windy conditions at Northwestern . . . made lone PAT against Arizona State . . . tied career-high going 6-of-6 on PATs, adding 3-for-3 on field goals, against Western Michigan, including longest of the night coming on a 38-yarder as time expired in first half, to be named the Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week . . . named one of the Lou Groza Three Stars of the Week after starting the season in smashing fashion with career-high tying four field goals as part of 14 total points, going 4-of-4 on field goals and 2-of-2 on PATs vs. Tulsa, earning MSU Special Units Player of the Week team award . . . three of the four field goals were 40+ yards, including 47-yarder in the second quarter that was third-longest of career.
2018 SEASON (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE): Earned first-team All-Big Ten honors by the media, second team by AP, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, and third team by the coaches . . . named one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award . . . recipient of the MSU Downtown Coaches Club Award for most outstanding special teams player . . . was 18-of-22 on field goals (.818) and a perfect 25-of-25 on PATs . . . ranked among MSU’s single-season leaders in field-goal percentage (fifth at .818) and field goals (tied for eighth with 18) . . . led the team in scoring for the second year in a row with 85 points . . . ranked among the Big Ten leaders in field goals (tied for second with 18), field-goal percentage (tied for fourth at .818) and scoring (ninth at 6.5 ppg) . . . had eight games with at least two field goals made, including two with three (Utah State, Purdue) . . . was 2-of-3 on field-goal attempts in the Redbox Bowl vs. Oregon, making both attempts from 34 yards out . . . made 2-of-3 field goals at Nebraska in cold, windy and snowy conditions, making a 34-yarder in first quarter, then missing a 41-yard attempt off the left upright into the wind in the second quarter, before making a 26-yarder in the fourth frame, with the 41-yard miss his first miss of season from 40-49 yards . . . made 2-of-3 field goals against Ohio State in cold and windy conditions, just missing a 51-yarder in the second quarter before bouncing back with a 44-yarder later in the same quarter, then adding a 38-yarder in the third quarter . . . split uprights on one FG (33 yards) and three PATs at Maryland . . . made first two field goal attempts in Purdue game before having third attempt blocked, which snapped his MSU record of 18 made FGs in a row, before bouncing back to make his third of the game on his fourth attempt, ending with three FGs and two PATs, marking his second game of the season and fourth of his career with at least three field goals, splitting uprights on 43, 48 and 34 yards . . . the 48-yard field goal was the second-longest of his career behind a 49-yarder vs. Utah State (Aug. 31) . . . successfully split the uprights on all three PATs at Penn State, the last coming with 19 seconds left after MSU’s go-ahead TD, giving Spartans four point lead, and was also passing option on fake field goal attempt earlier in fourth quarter . . . made one PAT and two FGs against Northwestern, a 27-yarder in first quarter and a 25-yarder in the second stanza, for his 16th straight field goal, that broke the MSU record for consecutive FGs, topping Brett Swenson’s 15 in a row in 2008 . . . made 33-yard FG and all four PATs against Central Michigan . . . named Big Ten Special Teams Co-Player of the Week after the Indiana game, in which he scored on a 6-yard TD run on a fake field goal in the third quarter to give MSU a 28-7 lead, adding season-high five PATs . . . became the first Spartan to score an offensive touchdown and then kick the PAT on his own TD since Sam Williams in 1958 against Wisconsin . . . other Spartans who kicked both PATs and scored a TD in the same season prior to Williams include Earl Lattimer in 1962 and Art Brandstatter in 1960 . . . Dave Kaiser also scored a TD and kicked the PAT following his own score vs. California in 1957 . . . also named the MSU Special Units Co-Player of the Week for the Indiana game . . . split uprights on both field goal attempts and one PAT at Arizona State for seven total points . . . made 3-of-3 field goals and all three PATs in opener vs. Utah State for 12 total points, tying his second-highest point total and his third double-digit scoring outing, behind career-high 16 vs. Rutgers (11/27/17) . . . also made career-long 49-yard field goal vs. Utah State, topping his previous long of 46 yards, done twice, most recently vs. Rutgers (11/27/17), and was his fifth FG of 40+ yards . . . named the MSU Special Units Co-Player of the Week for his performance against Utah State.
2017 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): Named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media as well as tabbed to the BTN All-Freshman Team . . . tied for fifth in the B1G and tied for 54th in FBS in field goals per game (1.15) and eighth in the B1G and 43rd in FBS in field goal percentage (78.9 pct.), as well as seventh in the B1G in total points scored (83) and eighth in total scoring (6.4 ppg) . . . made 15-of-19 (78.9 pct.) field goal attempts, including the last eight in a row, and all 38 of his PATs, highlighted by season-high six against No. 18 Washington State in the Holiday Bowl . . . the 15 made field goals tied the most by a Spartan freshman placekicker in school history (Michael Geiger, 2013; Brett Swenson, 2006) and tied for 13th overall on the MSU single-season field goals made list, while the 19 attempts tied for 21st and the 78.9 percent tied for seventh . . . one of 15 Spartan placekickers with a perfect PAT percentage, while the 38 PATs tied for 13th on the Spartans’ single-season made PAT list, while ranking 16th in PAT attempts . . . made season-high six PATs in the Holiday Bowl against Washington State . . . established season highs for field goals (4) and points (16) at Rutgers, going 4-of-4 on field goals and 4-of-4 on PATs, tying career long with a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter and also connected twice for 26 yards in the first quarter and once more for 32 yards in the third quarter . . . successfully split the uprights on two PATs and a 27-yard field goal in rainy, snowy, muddy conditions against Maryland . . . made 37-yard field goal as first half time expired at No. 11 Ohio State . . . was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after he drilled game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired for 27-24 win over No. 7 Penn State, after making 32-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter, adding three three PATs, with all five kicks coming in muddy conditions . . . was 4-of-4 on PATs and made career-long 46-yard field goal at Northwestern . . . made both PATs and a 23-yard field goal in Indiana game, making the go-ahead PAT that gave MSU the lead for good . . . despite windy, rainy conditions at Minnesota, made three of his four field goal attempts (made: 42 yards in first quarter; 35 and 25 yards in third quarter; missed: 45 yards in fourth quarter) and all three PATs . . . it marked his first career multi-field goal game . . . successfully split the uprights on both PATs in Michigan game . . . was 2-of-2 on PATs and made a 38-yard field goal in the 17-10 win over the Hawkeyes . . . made first career field goal attempt of the season against Notre Dame, a 40-yarder in the third quarter, and added one PAT . . . split uprights on 4-of-4 on PATs in Western Michigan game . . . made his Spartan debut in Bowling Green game, one of 18 true freshmen and redshirt freshmen who saw action in their first collegiate game . . . was perfect 5-of-5 on PATs against the Falcons.
2016 SEASON: Redshirted.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked among the nation’s top kickers by Scout.com (No. 7), 247Sports.com (No. 8) and ESPN.com (No. 13) . . . named to PrepStar’s All-Midwest Team . . . listed among Ohio’s top seniors by ESPN.com (No. 39) . . . three-year starter for Coach Jon Rodenberg at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio . . . two-time first-team All-TriState Football selection (2013-14) . . . two-time (Division I) All-Ohio special mention by The Associated Press . . . two-time AP All-Southwest District first-team selection . . . two-time first-team all-city pick by The Cincinnati Enquirer . . . two-time All-Greater Catholic League South selection . . . ranks No. 8 in Ohio prep history in kick scoring with 233 career points . . . finished second on the team in scoring with 50 points in 2015, converting 5-of-14 field-goal and 35-of-36 extra-point attempts . . . made three field goals from 40-plus yards, including a season-long 45-yarder vs. Lakewood St. Edward . . . accounted for a season-high 13 points vs. Cleveland St. Ignatius, hitting 2-of-3 field-goal and all seven extra-point attempts . . . averaged 37.6 yards on 37 punts in 2015, including a career-long 56-yarder while placing six kicks inside the opponent’s 20-yard line . . . earned all-area honors from The Cincinnati Enquirer as a junior after leading the Crusaders in scoring with 86 points . . . made 17-of-27 field-goal and 35-of-36 extra-point attempts in 2014 . . . connected on five field goals from 40-plus yards as a junior . . . also produced touchbacks on 28-of-60 kickoffs (47 percent) in 2014 . . . accounted for a Crusader single-game kick-scoring record 16 points in the 2014 state semifinals vs. Huber Heights Wayne, hitting 5-of-7 field-goal attempts, including a career-long 54 yarder, and his only PAT try . . . selected Great American Rivalry Series MVP vs Cincinnati St. Xavier after converting field goals of 37 and 47 yards in a 13-7 win . . . produced 14 points vs. Louisville St. Xavier, converting 4-of-5 field-goal and 2-of-2 extra-point attempts . . . ranked second on the team in scoring with 97 points as a sophomore, hitting 10-of-14 field-goal and all 67 extra-point attempts . . . converted three field goals from 40-plus yards, including a season-long 44-yarder vs. Louisville St. Xavier . . . 21 of his 79 kickoffs (27 percent) resulted in touchbacks in 2013 . . . made 87 consecutive extra-point attempts during one stretch . . . son of Mark and Ann Coghlin . . . his father, Mark, is an Air Force veteran and now a pilot; he flew the team’s charter plane to Phoenix, Arizona, for the 2018 Arizona State game . . . born Aug. 24, 1997 . . . graduated from the business school with his bachelor’s degree in finance in December 2020 and earned his master’s degree in business analytics in December 2021.
