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Former UCF Knights kicker Matt Prater is one of the best kickers in NFL history. He holds the record for the longest field goal in NFL history at 64 yards, and has made more field goals from 50 yards or longer than anyone in the history of the game.
But when you get right down to it, what about the physics behind what Prater does to achieve that? How hard does he actually have to hit a ball with his foot in order to make it go that far, that straight?
YouTube star Mark Rober went to Ford Field in Detroit to find out and to challenge Prater, as is his M.O., to a competition with a football kicking robot that he built himself.
Bring the kids by and watch the video. It’s fascinating:
As you can see, he’s still got it. Even after 14 seasons, Prater’s long this year was 59 yards. He’s the longest-serving UCF alumni in the NFL.