The most accurate kicker in GT history, seriously
Firstly, let’s remember one of the best moments from last season, Aidan Birr’s game-winning field goal in Dublin to knock off #10 Florida State (can you believe they put this game on the bowl ring?):
That moment was a massive adrenaline rush for me, not only because as a former member of the Gavin Stewart Fan Club there was someone good following him, but because in a seriously clutch moment, we had a guy who could step up and hit the kick. Birr these last two seasons has been a breath of fresh air.
Looking back on 2024, Birr went 15-22 FG (68%, 94th in FBS) with a long of 51 yards. He went 6-9 from 0-29 yards, 3-4 from 30-39, 5-8 from 40-49, and 1-3 from 50+.
Obviously, that’s not incredible considering he hit 89.5% of his kicks in 2023. Yes, there are missed kicks in 2024 that if we had back, the season looks a helluva lot better then it ended up (the missed kick in Georgia of course sticks out).
That said, his misses last season weren’t outright shanks either (or the muffed snap in the first half against Notre Dame). For a position that is incredibly mental, it takes a serious learning curve to get be present in every moment as a kicker. He’s done it over the course of one season already, I’m not concerned he won’t do it again.
All things considered, we are probably in a very good spot with Birr relative to literally every other kicker we’ve ever had. Even Butker.
In the Birmingham Bowl, Birr climbed to 6th all-time in Tech history in points scored by kicking, sitting at 178 points after scoring 90 in 2024. Pretty good for only two full seasons as our kicker!
And he is, believe it or not, the most accurate kicker in Georgia Tech history.
Birmingham Bowl Game Notes – GTAA
Birr hit two field goals in Birmingham, so his current FG% sits at 78% on 32/41 made kicks. In two years, he hasn’t missed 10 field goals yet.
This season, with how potent the offense is shaping up to be, Birr will get plenty of opportunities. Hopefully all of them are just PATs and we don’t need him to be kicking from 50+, but we know he’s got the leg to make deep kicks if we need them (remember when he kicked from 62 in the 2024 spring game?). If Birr gets back to his 90% form, that’s a lot of points back that can turn a potential 8-win season into a 10-win season (or 11, or 12. Heck, let’s just win all the games!).