A graduate of Central Catholic High School in Portland, Atticus Sappington has been making quite a noise in Eugene. The kicker had been part of Oregon State for three years. He then decided to hit the ‘transfer’ button. However, he did not go far and chose to stay within the state, boarding the Oregon Ducks’ bus. After the controversial departure, there has been no looking back for Sappington. He is the same chap who gained the spotlight during the Ducks’ Week 11 clash against Iowa, giving them a 12-7 lead at halftime and later keeping their playoff hopes still on.

Sappington has been quite a name since his high school days. He made it to the Les Schwab Bowl selection while kicking at Central Catholic High School under the head coach Steve Pyne. It was back on September 18, 2021, that he made his debut at Oregon State against Idaho as a freshman and kicked off once for 60 yards. Sappington had put the leg to work with nine kickoffs for 583 yards, four of them unreturnable at Utah. 

In his redshirt sophomore season, Sappington handled primary kicking duties in all 12 games for Oregon State. But post this, the kicker also known as “Automatticus” made the unlikely journey from Corvallis to Eugene in the 2023 off-season.  Appeared in all 14 games in first season with the Ducks and made 14-of-16 field goals and 41-of-43 extra points. But what made him hit the swap button?

“With coaching changes, you really have to reevaluate,” Sappington said. “With my parents and being close to home, it was just the right move for me, and it was time for me to move on. I couldn’t be more excited to be here and be part of a Big Ten team.” But the fact that he chose the Beavers’ main rival, Dan Lanning’s Ducks, is what turned up the heat. 

It was Lanning and co. who pursued Sappington heavily in the portal. He had All-Pac-12 third-team recognition under his belt, leading the league and ranking fifth nationally with a remarkable 92.86% field goal rate (13-of-14). From Beaver to Duck, Sappington made the switch with at least two years still to fly. The kicker claimed that he is a “big car guy,” which brought into discussion the NIL factor with stalwarts like billionaire Phil Knight sitting at the top in Oregon, behind the switch. But years have passed, and Sappington has put all doubts and controversies to rest, being the beacon of hope for Lanning’s squad.

Atticus Sappington stole the spotlight in the Iowa clash

The November 8 Oregon vs Iowa clash has been Big Ten football in its purest form-  cold, wet, and ruthless. The star of the show? Has to be Attington. His third field goal on three tries helped Lanning’s Ducks run on a three-game win streak. With Iowa taking the lead on a late touchdown with one minute, fifty-one seconds remaining, Oregon hit back hard. 

The Ducks went 54 yards in 10 plays, capped by Sappington’s game-winning 39-yarder. Dante Moore was sharp on the drive, completing 5-of-7 for 47 yards, including a 24-yard strike to Malik Benson that pushed Oregon into scoring range. 

Sloppy weather, sloppy snaps- Iowa’s early miscue gave Oregon a 2–0 lead before Dierre Hill Jr.’s touchdown pushed it to 9-0. After the Hawkeyes answered, Sappington’s steady leg sent the Ducks into halftime up 12-10 and added another from deep in the third after a UO takeaway, boosting the lead to 15-10 entering the fourth. After this, Sappington was running high on confidence.

“For me it’s just, all right, focus on the kick,” Sappington said. “Breathe. You got it. I’m going to go out and make it. … I was super-blessed to be in that position to go out and win it for the boys.” When injuries took out stars like tight end Kenyon Sadiq, receiver Dakorien Moore, and lineman Alex Harkey, Sappington shouldered the load and kept the Ducks soaring. Now that he’s flying high in Oregon, the question remains- will his name echo for his brilliance as a Duck or his controversial transfer?