Jacob Hathaway is a Welshman who is making waves in America and one day dreams of becoming an NFL star, having made the switch from football to American football
07:16 ET, 30 Oct 2025Updated 07:19 ET, 30 Oct 2025
Josh Hathaway kicks the football
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Josh Hathaway never thought he'd get to this point when leaving the UK(Image: jddiazmedia - mt_fb)
Former soccer player Jacob Hathaway is making a splash in the U.S. and has dreams of becoming an NFL superstar.
This narrative has become familiar over the past two years, especially after Louis Rees-Zammit's shocking transition from rugby union to American football. However, while Rees-Zammit left rugby behind, young Hathaway switched from soccer to football. After playing at a semi-professional level in the UK, one "joke" completely altered the course for the former soccer player, who now performs in front of crowds larger than those at the Wales national rugby stadium.
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The 23-year-old Hathaway, who dons the number 99 jersey for Middle Tennessee State University, has kicked in games broadcasted on ESPN. This season, he has attempted six field goals and successfully nailed one from over 50 yards in his first season with a new ball.
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It's no wonder that Welsh rugby icon Leigh Halfpenny was one of his childhood heroes.
Despite growing up in Guildford, the young man, whose family originates from Monmouthshire, has always proudly identified as Welsh, frequently visiting Wales. He is quite literally representing Wales in America, by displaying the red dragon flag in some press photos before the start of the new season.
Hathaway's football journey is just beginning, sparked by his childhood love for sports in the UK, where he admired two fellow Brits - rugby star Leigh Halfpenny and Welsh soccer legend Aaron Ramsey.
He played for Westfield Woking, a mere 20-minute drive from his Guildford home, but one pivotal moment altered his athletic career and life trajectory.
In 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease its global stranglehold, Hathaway left the UK. His reason for hopping across the pond was to chase his dream of playing soccer at a high level in another country, despite being uncertain about his next steps.
Young Welsh American footballer Jacob Hathaway
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Jacob Hathaway is making waves across the pond(Image: Jacob Hathaway)
Upon arriving in America, he experienced some cultural shocks, especially with language and food. He shared that his American pals sometimes struggle to understand his accent, even though they speak the same language!
The vastness of the country also took Hathaway by surprise.
During training, his coach would often tease him about becoming an football kicker. What started as a jest quickly turned into reality.
"I saw online an opportunity with Leader Kicking in Ireland," Hathaway told WalesOnline. "So I signed up to an event just to see how it would go and to see if I would be able to make the transition. I stayed in contact with the coach there, Tadhg Leader and I carried on training. After a bit of training it seemed as though my ceiling for football was higher than my ceiling could be for soccer."
Leader Kicking specializes in helping athletes transition to football and was established in 2022 to create life-changing opportunities for people like Hathaway. Leader is a former Connacht rugby player who spent much of his career playing rugby in America, earning caps for the USA national team.
Currently in his debut season, he acknowledges that Rees-Zammit's journey grabbed his attention and made him question whether he could achieve something similar. He added: "That was part of the reason I reached out to Leader Kicking.
"So they helped me learn a lot of the stuff that helped me with the transition between soccer/rugby kicking and football kicking. Once they thought I could compete at the D1 college level in the States they also helped me reach out to universities.
Jacob Hathaway
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Hathaway has played in front of 80,000 people(Image: jddiazmedia - mt_fb)
"I actually approached them and filled out a survey on their Instagram. I sent videos of me playing soccer showcasing that I could have the ability to be a kicker and they emailed me back asking me to come to a training session to see where we could go with it."
Middle Tennessee State University recruited the Welshman, who revealed that his jersey number 99 wasn't of any particular importance, he just "lucked out with a cool one". He confessed: "I never thought when I first came to the States that this is what I'd end up doing."
In his rookie season, Hathaway has been awed by the sheer magnitude of college football. He shared: "Playing in front of the big crowds is really cool, I played in front of 80,000 at Wisconsin which was an experience of a lifetime. My goals this season are just to improve day-by-day and become a better athlete, hopefully win something out of it too!".
Hathaway's girlfriend is from West Virginia and he's taken her to Wales where "she loved it there". The Monmouthshire native visits home during Christmas and summer. Despite currently residing in Guildford, the family plan to move back to Wales.
Discussing the transition, Hathaway pinpointed one major challenge. "I think just the mental side," he admitted.
"I knew I had the ability but the mental side and knowing how easy it would be just to carry on playing soccer after I had a bad day kicking. I needed to trust myself and the process a lot."
As for his future, Hathaway aspires to reach as far as possible, with the NFL being the ultimate goal. However, he emphasized: "Above all, I just want to exceed my own limits."
Hathaway has embarked on a new journey thousands of miles away from home, with a promising future ahead. His tale is a tribute to taking risks and welcoming the unfamiliar - even a small jest during training.
While this author's narrative ends here, Hathaway's is just beginning.
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Some of these images have been supplied by JD Diaz for Middle Tennessee Football. You can check out their social media channels using the handle mt_fb.