If Patriots can’t connect with Stephen Gostkowski, former Assumption star turned SEC standout could fit

Hard not to notice the fact we’re almost three weeks into free agency, and the Patriots have yet to sign their own veteran kicker to a new deal -- one report Tuesday said there's "not much happening" between the two sides at this point.

It’s also hard not to notice the fact the best kicker in this year’s draft knows something about what it takes to succeed when it comes to kicking in the occasionally unforgiving climate of eastern New England.

LSU’s Cole Tracy, who started his college career at Assumption in Worcester, climbed the collegiate ladder the last few years, eventually reaching a point in 2018 where he’s now considered the best kicker in the draft.

College kickers can be a little dicey sometimes, but the truth is Tracy was as steady as anyone in the nation last year. He was named a 2018 AP second-team All-American, second-team All-American by the Associated Press and first-team All-SEC after connecting on all 42 of his extra point attempts and 29 of 33 field goal tries (87.9 percent). Three of his four misses came from 50-plus, and he had a season-long of 54 yards.

His best moments came was when he went 5-for-5 in LSU’s upset of Georgia, as well as this game-winner to beat Auburn (with some musical accompaniment).



So with Gostkowski still unsigned, the draft less than a month away, could we see the Patriots pursue the former Massachusetts college star with a mid- to late-round pick?


For his part, the California native remains noncommittal when it comes to where he might end up. Describing himself as a “one-step-at-a-time” guy, he’s simply enjoying the process.

“I started kicking in eighth grade, and all through high school, and from there, I was really a one-step-at-a-time guy. I had some success at Assumption, and that led me to LSU.

“But when I was in eighth grade, I wanted to be the best kicker in high school, and when I got to high school, I wanted to be the best kicker in college football. I just took it step by step. That’s still the focus.”

At Assumption in 2017, he was the top kicker outside the FBS after scoring 148 points and connecting on all 67 extra point tries. He hit a Division II-high 27 of 29 field goal attempts (93.1 percent) with a long of 53 yards. That was where he fully realized he could reach the next level. Plus, he was aware of the path of another kicker with New England ties in Stephen Hauschka, who also went from a small New England college (Middlebury) to a bigger program (North Carolina State).

Hauschka eventually ended up in the NFL. Tracy hopes for the same path.

“I grew up as a Seahawks fan, and I knew him well from his time in Seattle,” Tracy said of Hauschka, a Bay State native who currently kicks for the Bills. “But I was also familiar with his story and his path — how he came out of Middlebury and then transferred to North Carolina State. That was always kind of in the back of my mind when I was at Assumption.”

The move to LSU this past year was fairly seamless — his 88 percent success rate on field goals was one of the best in the nation among kickers with at least 30 attempts. His 29 made field goals ranked second in the FBS, and he kicked the memorable 42-yard game-winner at Auburn. Former Patriot and current LSU coach Kevin Faulk said that game-winner really put him over the top this past season.

“He works really hard,” Faulk said. “But after that Auburn game, you saw he had that confidence and focus. It’s one thing for a kicker to be confident in his own abilities, but when he gains that sort of confidence from his teammates and the coaching staff, that’s a wrap.”