AMES — Iowa State’s undefeated record might end up in the hands, rather, on the foot, of a freshman walk-on kicker.
Chase Smith will be ISU’s only kicker on Saturday when ISU (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big 12) hosts Arizona (6 p.m. ESPN). Smith, a freshman from North Scott High School, got thrust into a starting role after injuries to Kyle Konrardy and Jace Gilbert. Konrardy’s injury he suffered against Arkansas State isn’t a season-ending, but he and Gilbert, who got hurt against South Dakota, figure to be out for multiple games.
Last week in practice, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser kicked field goals with the second-team field goal unit. So, who would kick on Saturday if Smith were to somehow get hurt? That’s a scenario coach Matt Campbell doesn’t want to think about.
“Can you kick, Can you go?” Campbell asked a media member. “I might put you on the roster.”
Unfortunately for the Cyclones, adding newspaper columnists or the best soccer players from the ISU intramural fields is a bygone of college football now that roster limits are capped at 105. That’s why there weren’t any flyers hanging in the Memorial Union this week asking students to try out. Smith is likely only on ISU’s roster because of a decision this summer to grandfather existing walk-ons onto college football rosters.
Smith could easily not be a Cyclone. Now, all eyes will be on him.
“Chase is a damn good kicker and we’re fortunate to have him,” Campbell said. “But you can imagine if you didn’t have that situation what a tough situation you could be in and will that happen to some teams?”
Smith has played well enough this season to where most Cyclone fans probably don’t even know his name. He has kicked off nine times this season and is four-for-four on extra points. He has not attempted a field goal.
If ISU’s history is any indication, big moments will find Smith. The Cyclones have won three games this season by one score and excellent kicking has been a big reason why. Konrardy was rising up the Lou Groza Award watch list after a program-record 64-yard field goal against South Dakota and a 54-yard winner against Iowa.
So, for the foreseeable future, all eyes will be on Smith. Here’s what Cyclone fans should know about him.
Born in Thailand and raised on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan, Thanaphat “Chase” made the move of more than 7,000 miles from the Far East to the Quad-Cities with his family almost six years ago. He said the decision to play sports was the sole reason for moving to America.
Don’t think of Smith as just a kicker. He is an athlete. Smith became North Scott’s starting quarterback his senior season, sitting behind Kyler Gerardy who now plays for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Smith also played high school soccer and ran track through his junior year.
During his senior season, Smith threw for 2,362 yards and 28 touchdowns, both school records, rushed 61 times for 280 yards and even caught an 11-yard touchdown. He earned First Team Class 4A All-State honors from IFCA, Sports Illustrated and Bound Iowa as a utility player. Murray State, an FCS school in the Missouri Valley Conference, offered Smith a scholarship but he elected to walk-on at ISU.
“I’ve coached football a long time and he’s an extremely athletic player,” former North Scott coach Kevin Tippet said. “He’s a good football player. He’s not just a kicker, but he’s pretty good at his job there too.”
His online ISU bio says Smith was successful on four-of-six field-goal attempts, with a long of 42 yards, and also punted 21 times for a 36-yard average. He did that on top of running a spread offense.
“Chase was a dual-threat kid, you know, going from playing quarterback every down and throwing it and running and scrambling into going right up to the field goal I mean, that’s a lot to ask of somebody, especially when you’re in a 4A program playing the best teams in the state,” Tippet said.
In high school, Smith attended kicking camps across the country. Tippet said Smith has an “Explosive” leg and he would have been comfortable attempting field goals from 50-yards and in. Because Smith ran a successful, high-powered offense, there weren’t many times when it made sense to attempt a long field goal or opportunities to kick a game-winner.
Those are the strategy decisions Campbell will have to make on Saturday. His analytics will likely have to change with Smith, a player who hasn’t attempted a field goal in college, in for Konrardy, whose 63-yarder is the program record. Campbell didn’t offer a range he feels comfortable kicking from, saying it will depend on feel and the flow of the game.
“Yeah, I think it all depends, Campbell said. “I don’t know how much that really changes who we are or what we’re about … I think, again, there’s a lot of confidence from myself and our staff on what Chase can do.”
Ben Hutchens is an Iowa State University beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at Ben.Hutchens@lee.net.
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