LSU lands Damian Ramos replacement with portal signing from SEC foe

The LSU Tigers have found their next placekicker in the form of former Arkansas kicker Scott Starzyk.

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Starzyk was the No. 2 kicker in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports and ESPN. He shined with the Razorbacks as a true freshman this past season, and is now Baton Rouge bound after entering the portal on January 5.

Starzyk did not miss from inside 40 yards this season, and nailed a pair of 50+ yarders while also going a perfect 47-for-47 on extra point attempts. In total, he connected on 14 of his 18 field goal attempts while racking up 89 points over the course of 12 games.

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Starzyk's commitment to LSU is a big get for Kiffin and the Tigers, who have now found their ideal replacement for Damian Ramos. Ramos declared for the NFL Draft last week after spending 4 seasons at LSU. He leaves Baton Rouge as the program's all-time leading scorer with 409 points to his name, and ends his Tiger career going 69-of-87 (79.3%) on field goal attempts and 202-for-206 (98.1%) on extra point attempts. During Jayden Daniels' Heisman-winning season in 2023, Ramos led the country in extra points, going a perfect 77-for-77.

A former 5-star prospect, Starzyk was rated as the No. 1 kicker in the 2025 recruiting class by Kohl’s Kicking. He went 2-for-3 on kicks from 50+ yards during his freshman campaign. He drilled a 53-yard field goal in his first collegiate game back on August 30 against Alabama A&M, which set an Arkansas program record for the longest field goal by a freshman in Razorback history.

Starzyk hails from The Woodlands, Texas and has 3 years of eligibility remaining. He is the third specialist to commit to the Tigers during the transfer portal season. The portal remains open until January 16.