Jesús Gómez (American football)

Jesús Salvador Gómez Juárez (born 22 October 2003) is a Mexican college football kicker for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He previously played for the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

Gómez was born on 22 October 2003 in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico,^[1] to Jesús Gómez and Yesika Juárez.^[2] He grew up in a football (soccer)-oriented family and played the sport for 13 years.^[3] Gómez even spent time in the Club Puebla youth system.^[1] However, he eventually grew bored of the sport and began playing informal games of American football with his friends in secondary school.^[3] His parents permitted him to join a club team as a kicker, though Gómez played as a wide receiver and linebacker for two seasons before his father convinced him to switch positions.^[3] He discovered his aptitude for kicking and decided to commit to the position fully.^[3]

Gómez attended Prepa Tec Puebla, where he played high school football for the Borregos under head coach Ángel Carrillo.^[2] He also had several good performances at kicking camps throughout the United States, which drew attention from NCAA Division I programs.^[3] Gómez was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the 13th-best kicking prospect in the nation by Kohl's.^[2][4] He committed to play college football at Eastern Michigan University (EMU).^[3]

As a freshman in 2021, Gómez appeared in two games for the Eagles, recording an average of 64 yards in three kickoff attempts with two touchbacks and taking a redshirt.^[2][5] He mostly served as a backup to starter Chad Ryland.^[3] Following Ryland's departure, Gómez won the starting kicker role in 2022.^[2][6] He earned Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division Special Teams Player of the Week honors in mid-September after he went a perfect three-of-three on field goals and three-of-three on extra points in a 30–21 win over Arizona State.^[7] On October 22, Gómez tied the program record by making a 55-yard field goal to end the first half in an eventual 20–16 win over Ball State.^[8] He played in all 13 games that season and converted 14-of-17 field goal attempts, including two-of-three from beyond 50 yards, as well as a perfect 47-of-47 extra points.^[2][9] Gómez was named the team's Special Teams MVP and earned second-team All-MAC accolades.^[10][11] He was then named to the Lou Groza Award watchlist ahead of the 2023 season.^[12] On September 30, Gómez tied his carer-high with a 55-yard field goal in a 26–23 loss to Central Michigan.^[13] On November 14, he made a game-tying 32-yard field goal against Akron with 10 seconds left in regulation; EMU eventually won in double overtime by a score of 30–27.^[14] Gómez finished 12-of-16 on field goal attempts and 21-of-24 on extra points.^[2]

In 2024, Gómez had a breakout season for the Eagles. On September 7, he made all three of his field goal attempts, including a school-record 57-yard kick, in a 30–9 loss to Washington.^[15] Gómez also became the first player in program history to convert multiple field goals of 50 or more yards in a single game, and earned MAC co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance.^[16] The following week, he converted three-of-four field goals, including the game-winning 34-yard kick, and four-of-four extra points in a 37–34 double overtime victory over Jacksonville State, repeating as MAC co-Special Teams Player of the Week.^[17][18] Gómez won the award for the third week in a row after he converted three-of-three field goals and three-of-four extra points in a 36–0 win over the Saint Francis Red Flash.^[19][20] He captured the award for a fourth time after he made all three field goal attempts and all three extra points in a 38–34 Homecoming win over Central Michigan on October 19.^[21] Gómez finished the year converting 20-of-25 field goal attempts and 27-of-29 extra points.^[9] After the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.^[22]

On December 15, 2024, Gómez announced he would be transferring to Arizona State University (ASU) to play for the Sun Devils.^[23] He also received interest from programs such as Auburn, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Washington.^[24] Gómez spoke positively about the favorable kicking conditions in the area – saying weather was "perfect year-round" – as well as the sizable Hispanic community.^[24][25] He also praised the coaching staff, saying: "From the first moment I met the coaches I felt how they care more about me as a person and not a football player. You can see how everyone in the building is bought in to the vision of Coach Dillingham and the future is bright for this program.^[25] Conversely, ASU pursued Gómez due to their kicking problems the previous season,^[26] with special teams coordinator Charlie Ragle calling him "the best option in the portal".^[27] Gómez is left-footed, meaning Ragle had to flip his coaching mechanics, but "he was so good, it didn’t matter."^[26]

Gómez entered the 2025 season as one of very few Mexican players at the Power Four level.^[28] On September 20, he converted four-of-four field goals – including the game-winning 43-yard kick as time expired – in a 27–24 win over Baylor, earning Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors.^[26][29] The following week, Gómez made a game-winning 23-yard field goal in a 27–24 upset victory over No. 24. TCU.^[30] He repeated as the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week and became the first Big 12 kicker since 2015 to make game-winning field goals in consecutive games.^[31]

Gómez was inspired to study mechanical engineering in college due to his love of auto racing, specifically being a supporter of Mexican driver Checo Pérez as well as the Formula 1 circuit in general.^[3] At Eastern Michigan, he was an Academic All-MAC selection and a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree.^[2] Gómez has one sister.^[3]

• Arizona State Sun Devils bio
• Eastern Michigan Eagles bio