Where else can you find a story like this?
In 2017, Kansei Matsuzawa was playing high school soccer in Japan, completely unaware that American football even existed. Fast forward to this weekend, and he was nailing a 38-yard walk-off field goal to give Hawaii a dramatic 23-20 victory over Stanford to open the season.
I'm 20-year-old from Japan who was Morton's waiter and learned to kick on YouTube - now I'm realizing NFL dream
Born in Ichikawa, Matsuzawa fell in love with football after watching an NFL game on a trip to the United States when he was younger. He quickly fell in love with the sport.
But love wasn't enough, as Matsuzawa worked shifts as a waiter at Morton's Steakhouse in his spare time to stay afloat.
At just 21 years old, Matsuzawa moved to America with aspirations of becoming a college kicker.
Except there were two glaring obstacles standing in Matsuzawa's way. He didn't know how to kick or speak English. So what did he do?
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The savvy Japan native took to YouTube to teach himself how to kick and learn the language. He quickly went from playing soccer at Makuhari Sogo High School in Chiba, Japan to playing at Hocking College for two seasons, a junior college in Nelsonville, Ohio.
There are culture shocks, and then there's whatever you call going from Chiba, Japan to Nelsonville, Ohio. Yet Matsuzawa wasn't phased. He had a goal and he was determined.
During his sophomore season at Hocking College, Matsuzawa drilled 12 of 17 field goal attempts, including a long of 50 yards, while making 16 of 17 extra points. That caught the attention of the Hawaii coaching staff.
Matsuzawa transferred to Hawaii in 2023, but didn't see game action until 2024.
From there, he played in all 12 games as the team’s starting placekicker. He led the team in scoring with 68 points, going 12-for-16 on field attempts, while making all 32 of his extra points.
And now he has the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors off to a 1-0 start after coming up clutch with the game-winning kick and becoming the hero to start the college football season.
HONOLULU, HAWAII - AUGUST 23: Caleb Freeman #18 of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors holds the ball as Kansei Matsuzawa #17 kicks the game winning field goal during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on August 23, 2025 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
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Matsuzawa was ready for the momentCredit: Getty
Matsuzawa delivered when his team needed him the most
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Matsuzawa delivered when his team needed him the mostCredit: Getty
HONOLULU, HI - AUGUST 24: Kansei Matsuzawa #17 of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors kicks an extra point during the first half of the game against the Delaware State Hornets at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on August 24, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
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This is Matsuzawa's second season as the starting kicker for HawaiiCredit: Getty
"I'm kind of nervous right now, more than when I [kicked the] game-winning field goal," Matsuzawa told reporters after the game.
"Speaking English is tough, but yeah, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the moment. And when we gave up the second touchdown to Stanford, then I was like, 'Oh, this is gonna be my game.'
"And I just prepared for the game-tying field goal and also game-winning field goal. I knew it was going to happen.
"Control what I can control. That's everything I do."
Matsuzawa did just that. He controlled what he could control, going a perfect 5-for-5 on kicks for the day.
Head coach Timmy Chang gave all the credit to his guys after battling down from 10-0 to begin the game.
HONOLULU, HAWAII - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Timmy Chang of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors watches from the sideline during the second half of the game against the New Mexico Lobos at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on November 30, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
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Chang is in Year 4 as head coach of Hawaii footballCredit: Getty
"They put in a lot of work this offseason to (win) these close games," Chang said.
"We talk about these close games and being on the other side of them, and how we're going to get on the other side of them. Really early on...10-0, to sit here and say that we came back in a close three-point game, I mean, that's just resilience."
Hawaii travels to Tucson, Arizona this weekend to take on the Wildcats, which will be another tough game.
But if it's close in the fourth quarter, and it's coming down to the wire, and the Rainbow Warriors need a big kick, Chang can feel good about his kicker.
From soccer fields in Ichikawa to steakhouse shifts at Morton’s to YouTube tutorials in Ohio, Matsuzawa’s path is unlike anything college football has seen.
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And that's the beauty of this sport.
Now, after drilling a game-winner against Stanford, Hawaii has its hero — and the NFL might just have its next unlikely kicker.