The Players’ Corner

From a state-winning youth soccer champion to FCS record holder for most PATs, kicking is in Griffin Crosa’s DNA. Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Griffin spent a decade kicking footballs through the yellow uprights.

His 6-year tenure in Fargo, North Dakota encompasses the highs and lows of sports. From getting thrust into the spotlight as a Freshman to being sidelined for two seasons, Griffin’s journey proves that success is less about physical talent and more about mastering the mental game.

Getting Noticed: Traveling Across the Country with his Dad

Playing on a middle-of-the-pack high school team, Griffin wasn’t afforded too many opportunities to showcase his kicking abilities (although he still earned all-state honors). Also being the punter in high school helped him get into games when his team wasn’t pushing the ball down the field, but it was a “countrywide tour for two summers” he went on with his dad that resulted in offers.

He and his dad went to about 15 different camps within the two summers, but one in Fargo, North Dakota brought the travel to a halt. And it almost didn’t happen.

Griffin wasn’t even sure he’d get a tryout at NDSU, but then, just 2 days before the camp was set to take place, the team announced the camp. This late notice left him with a tough decision, as he explained, “I had another camp at Marshall later the same day that NDSU had their camp. And I went just before that to the University of South Dakota, and they were going to offer me.”

His dad left the decision up to him, leading to Griffin telling him, “Pops, if I go to USD (University of South Dakota) and I have to go to the Fargo Dome every year and play there, I’m gonna wonder, ‘What if I had gone to that camp?’”

So they canceled the trip to Marshall and went out to Fargo, where it quickly became “a match made in heaven.”

Griffin’s dad’s support didn’t end with the recruiting tour. Over the next six years, he missed only one or two games—even during the seasons when Griffin wasn’t playing. This dedication meant a lot to Griffin, as he recalled, “Everybody knew my dad because he was at all of the home games, he was at all of the away games. I had teammates from California, Florida; their families can’t make it to every game. So just being able to have him there at every game, I knew it was special. I felt lucky that he could do that.” He even joked, “Honestly, I think more people knew who he was in Fargo than knew who I was.”

Freshman Year: The Unexpected Taste of Playing Time

A season set for Griffin to settle into college football and back up Jake Reinholz quickly shifted; in the first quarter of the first game of the season, Jake went down with an injury, thrusting Griffin into the starting role as a true freshman.

Griffin mentioned the situation brought mixed feelings, “I was excited for my opportunity, but obviously you never want to see somebody get hurt. Jake — he was a great kicker. He was older, and it was his turn to take over, so seeing him go down like that was definitely tough.”

But he was still excited for his opportunity, even if it meant kicking in front of tens of thousands of fans at the home of the Minnesota Twins, as a newly 18-year-old, in his first collegiate game.

The excitement shone throughout the season, culminating in his first true test with his 46-yard field goal attempt at Delaware. He recalled:

 That was my first really big kick. So my reaction shows that. I was pumped up. The announcers loved it. I knew I was going into the wind for that kick, and there were already questions as to how far I could kick the ball because I just got thrust into the starting job. But when that ball came off my foot, I was like, ‘That is perfect. That is a perfect ball.’ Because I was thinking to myself, in order for this to get through the wind, I need to hit this really well. And when it came off, I was like, ‘That might get there.’ And I see it going, then it gets held up, and it just dings… That is definitely a cornerstone memory in my career at NDSU, just because of the emotion that came with it.

Getting Humbled: Taking a Step Back the Following Season

Griffin knew that Jake hadn’t done anything deserving of losing his starting job, but this didn’t mean it wasn’t “tough” when Griffin had to take a step back after playing.

He admitted that it’s a difficult transition going from having the starting role to being a backup, “It was difficult because, especially as a young player, you get the taste of playing and then it’s taken from you like that, and you’re like, ‘Damn, now I’m just practicing and sitting on the sidelines?’”

But it could have been a blessing in disguise. Griffin said, “But I think it happened exactly the way it needed to happen. Not that I needed to be humbled much, but it was humbling. Especially as a young player, it can’t hurt to be humbled a little bit. So I felt like it ended up probably benefiting me for the best.”

As challenging as it was, and although it may have brought some questions about whether the grass would be greener on the other side somewhere else, it just adds to his story in Fargo.

Back on the Field: Mastering The Mental Game

Griffin rallied back, after 2 years behind Jake, with 3 seasons of elite efficiency and impact. But he doesn’t owe it to his physical attributes as a kicker. He expressed:

I wasn’t a good kicker because of my physical ability. I could squat a decent amount, but not a lot. I couldn’t kick a ball super far. I had a good leg, but 95-100% [is mental]. That’s why I was able to have a good career.

While Griffin never had the opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal, he had some big kicks in big moments. One in particular often stands out in his career — his 47 yard 4th quarter kick against Incarnate Word with NDSU down by 5.

Griffin remembered the pressure, “I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t realize the magnitude of the kick… I feel like I would say it was just like any other kick, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel pressure. I think I feel that pressure for every kick, but I realize what the moment is in the game, so I know when it’s a big moment or big kick.”

He continued on the importance of mental element, “I could’ve stepped over that kick and been like, ‘This is 47 yards; this is my career long.’ If I wasn’t in the right headspace, I would say to myself, ‘Oh, this is my career long, I have to swing at this thing hard,’ and that would mess up my kick. But being able to have the mental toughness to be like, ‘Hey, this is just like a PAT. Go in there and hit your ball.’

The mental fortitude it took versus Incarnate Word to not overthink the kick was not a one-time thing. It took a consistent approach to have this blank mind on Saturdays, including standing away from the team before big kicks, hoping to avoid situations like when “the big offensive lineman goes up to the kicker on the sideline and says, ‘You got this bro! You got this!’” Griffin laughingly said, “That’s what I don’t want. You know what I mean? I just want to be away from that.”

Mastering the mental element is what allowed Griffin to feel confident as one of the most accurate kickers in the world and have accolades like most PATs in FCS history.

Leading as a Specialist: Playing with Emotion

Griffin wasn’t shy to share his excitement on the field in the big moments. And this is a trait he used to make a bigger impact on the team.

When you watch clips of his field goals, you see the emotion shine through. He expressed, “I think that just whatever felt right in the moment, I just let myself do it. So if it was to act excited and head butt somebody, then I’d do it.”

This mentality helped him play through 6 years of football for an elite football program. He admitted, “At the end of the day, I love football, but do I love doing it 7 days out of the week? No, there’s definitely parts of the year that suck. Having to find joy in it and keep it fun is crucial in my opinion.”

And he may not be much of a “rah rah guy” giving pregame speeches, but he was quick to pump up his teammates on the sidelines when they made big plays, as he shared, “To be quite frank, on the sideline as a kicker, you wish you could do more. I can only go out there when I’m told to go out there. So it’s like I looked at being encouraging to my teammates as another thing I could do to help us win.”

But he said it’s important to know there’s a time and place to share excitement as a kicker. For example, after an extra point might not be the best time to celebrate with the linemen because “they just had a 10-12 play drive, they’re gassed. I finish a kick, I look into their eyes, and they’re dog tired. The last thing they want to see is my skinny self out there doing what I do.”

As Griffin explains, in reality as a kicker, “You have to know you’re not doing everything they’re [your teammates are] doing, so don’t act like you’re better than everybody else because you’re not even half of what those guys are doing.”

He said that you’re already battling a persona as a kicker, and need to have high awareness. But Griffin did have a response ready for when his teammates made jokes, jabbing at the fact that he wasn’t doing as much as them, “Dude, why are you acting like that’s my fault? It’s your fault for not becoming a kicker.”

Even though he was only on the field for a few snaps a game, it didn’t stop him from spreading his excitement and joy for sports to the team.

Riding off into the Sunset: Winning a National Championship

In January 2025, the North Dakota State Bison took home the National Championship in Griffin’s final game after 6 years.

It was a team he knew was special, as he said, “Last year, right from the jump, I knew it was going to be a special year. We had a lot of guys that got opportunities and offers to go elsewhere in the portal, and they just decided to stay, and I think that shows the type of group we had. To go out on top, it couldn’t have gone any other way.”

Griffin was one of the guys who at least pondered putting his name in the portal: “Going into my last season, I knew that if I entered into the portal, I probably could have gotten some big-time offers, which could have led to other ones.”

But he chose to end his career where it started, in Fargo, North Dakota. He explained, “Ultimately, I’m glad I decided to stay at NDSU because I want to take my kids back there and be like…this is the only place I was. All of my kicks, all of the history was here.”

Griffin expressed what it says about NDSU that he and other guys chose to stay in Fargo and turn down other opportunities. It’s a program that meant more to his team than just jerseys.

It’s a program that helped develop Griffin for 6 years, and left him with countless life lessons, including:

The biggest thing I can take away would be that only you know if you’re fully bought in. There were times in my career when I was doing everything right in the weight room, I was kicking great in practice, I was doing well in games, but I would go home to my apartment and wouldn’t. It can affect how you play. Who knows if you would be better if you weren’t doing those stupid things? You’re the only one who knows if you’re 100% locked in all the time. Hold yourself to that standard. As soon as I realized that I’ve got, God willing, a lifetime of doing stupid stuff and enjoying life in other ways, and then just focused on football and what I needed to do to be my best in football, I definitely saw the rewards from that.

In his six years in Fargo, Griffin spent a quarter of his life building a legacy that went far beyond the field. He was an 18-year-old thrust into the spotlight, then forced to step back. Through it all, he learned to master the pressure, handle setbacks with humility, and grow into a champion and a leader. His career, marked by a national title and a record for most PATs, is a testament to the rewards of that journey. In the end, all of his hard-earned success left him with one vital lesson: Only you know if you’re fully bought in.