The NFL hopeful from Japan who learned to kick on YouTube

By Patrick Snell, CNN

(CNN) — It started with a kick. Since then, Kansei Matsuzawa’s life has never been the same since.

The 26-year-old from Ichikawa, Japan, made global headlines on the opening weekend of the NCAA college football season after he nailed a 38-yarder as time expired to give the University of Hawaii a dramatic 23-20 victory over Stanford.

It was rich reward for a young athlete who didn’t even know how to kick – or speak English – until he started watching YouTube videos.

“It was one of the best moments in my life. D1 football in America and Japanese kid has big dream,” the young placekicker told CNN Sports. “In the beginning, when I was in Japan, I had no coaches. So, I feel like I have to do it myself.

“I used YouTube first. I was looking for an NFL player on YouTube. I would say (Seattle) Seahawks kicker Jason Myers. I’ve never met him before, but he actually texted me on Instagram after getting the winning field goal and that was amazing. I try to imitate the best of the best and that’s how I started.”

In collegiate sports, the bond between player and coach is often enduringly strong – much more so than at the professional level.

Thomas Sheffield is the Hawaii special teams coordinator who played a key role in bringing Matsuzawa to Honolulu and has nothing but respect and admiration for the life journey Matsuzawa – who has been given the nickname “the Tokyo Toe” – has undertaken.

“Who teaches themself how to kick off YouTube? Who goes to America from a completely different country without speaking English and teaches himself basically how to speak English?” Sheffield told CNN Sports.

“The word love is used a lot in our profession. I think that as a coach, if you really want to love your players, then you got to get to know your players on a personal level,” he added.

Matsuzawa was a stand-out soccer player as a teenager, but he failed an exam and didn’t go to college in Japan. His passion, joy and energy were gone. But everything changed when Matsuzawa’s parents offered their son a chance to visit the US.

An NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams that he attended fueled his fire to one day return to America and pursue his dreams. It’s no wonder that winning kick against Stanford was so special for both player and coach alike.

“I really wanted to win that game, especially like week zero. Visualization is really important. I was ready for a game-time field goal and a game-winning field goal. I’m telling myself I am elite. And then focus on myself as one of the biggest things,” Matsuzawa revealed.

Sheffield added: “I was like crying like a baby, I just told him, ‘Man, your parents are here to see this.’ That was the coolest part for me was seeing somebody who works so hard and overcome so many battles and so much adversity to get to that moment. And there’s nobody that deserves it more than this kid because of the journey.”

The Rainbow Warriors kicker has had to work hard for all he’s achieved in life so far and especially so when it comes to finances.

Before moving to the US, he would wait tables back in Japan at his local steakhouse in Tokyo. At one point, he was even cutting his own hair to save money. He would upload clips of his kicking to his social media hoping somebody – somewhere – would take notice and give him a chance.

Finally, a school in Nelsonville, Ohio, did and Matsuzawa credits the time he spent at Hocking College before his move to Hawaii as playing a significant role in greatly improving his English. And then there were huge, selfless sacrifices made by his parents, such as the trip the family took to the US.

So just imagine the joy and elation he went through when he learned, at long last, he was to be awarded a scholarship at the University of Hawaii. It was a moment that would cause him to break down in tears.

“That was amazing. I feel like it’s one of the toughest things to walk on to a scholarship in college football. It’s really tough, but (the) coaches believed in me. That moment is so amazing for me and my family,” Matsuzawa said.

“They’re paying my tuition, paying my rent. It was tough for my family. My family moved to a different place, a cheaper house, to help.”

The moment Matsuzawa – who’s majoring in sports management – learned he was getting a life-changing scholarship was actually witnessed first-hand by Sheffield himself.

“I was the one recording it. I got to record it because I knew it was coming. It was one of the most rewarding things when you see a kid who just follows his dreams and meets his potential, and that we just get to play a small part of it. It gets you emotionally. It’s like watching your son achieve a big dream and a big goal and reaping the benefits of all the hard work,” Sheffield said.

Matsuzawa says he’s inspired by his idol and compatriot: baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani.

“Like everyone, I’m just watching him on TV. But his mindset and his preparation are a different level, and if I want to be like him, I have got to have the same mindset and preparation to perform to the highest level.”

And as for Matsuzawa’s future, it won’t surprise you to learn he’s already dreaming big, hoping one day he might even get to play in the NFL. And if he does, he would become the first Japanese national ever to do so.

“There’s a lot of dreams, but since day one, I’m going to NFL, win Super Bowl, play 10 years in the NFL – you know, big contract!”