Carter Davis won the Hurricanes’ kicker job — and then Miami’s opener vs Notre Dame
Carter Davis tried not to let the moment get to him, no matter how big the magnitude. The kicker, who transferred to the Miami Hurricanes this offseason from FAU, stuck to his routine as he lined up for the biggest kick of his career.
And when the attempt sailed through the uprights and sent Hard Rock Stadium into a frenzy, he took a moment to process it.
“My heartbeat kind of skipped,” Davis said, “and then accelerated because I was just so excited for it.”
Davis’ 47-yard field goal with 1:04 left in regulation was the deciding score in the No. 10 Hurricanes’ season-opening 27-24 upset win over the sixth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday.
“I might sleep four hours [tonight], but it’s going to feel like 20,” Davis, a Davie Western High alumnus, said postgame. “Just going to be that excited when I wake up.”
The big moment came after Davis had to outcompete not one but two of his fellow kickers after transferring to Miami in the offseason as Miami looked to replace Andres Borregales, who made 74 of 86 field goals during his UM career, set the school record for career points (405) and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
First, it was Abram Murray, who figured to be the in-house replacement. Murray then transferred after spring practice. Then it was Bert Auburn, who transferred to Miami from Texas in the spring following Murray’s departure.
Davis and Borregales, both South Florida natives, go way back. He reached out to Borregales before transferring to see if he had a chance.
“I said, ‘Is there anybody coming for that spot?’” Davis said. “And then I kind of got my way in, but at the same time, it was I knew the blueprint that he’s been a great kicker here, and it’s not for no reason. He’s a great kicker, but it’s the system around him. He’s just able to flourish.”
Davis is now showing his potential to flourish as well.
But he prevailed from the kicking competition and proved his worth on Sunday.
“It means the world,” Davis said. “I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy journey to try to take the field goal job because we have some great guys that came in and everything, but when I found out that I got it, I cried. I’ll be honest. But I was just so ecstatic about that. It meant the world.”
Him coming up clutch and proving coach Mario Cristobal right probably meant the world, too. The kicking unit had a snafu on its first attempt of the game, with holder Dylan Joyce botching the snap from long snapper Adam Booker in the first quarter. The group rebounded when it mattered, with Davis hitting a 38-yard field goal with 9:42 left in the fourth quarter to give Miami a 24-14 lead and then sealing the game in the final minutes after Notre Dame made a late comeback bid.
“In practice, he hits them at 55-plus,” Cristobal said. “Actually had two 63-yarders. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2025 at 1:08 AM.
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