Hawaii placekicker Kansei Matsuzawa is the featured guest on this week’s Official Heisman Trophy Podcast. Listen to the full conversation here. Episodes and clips of The Official Heisman Trophy Podcast are available on all major podcast networks, including Spotify and Apple, as well on YouTube and TikTok.
When Kansei Matsuzawa steps onto the field, there’s a calm that borders on unreal. No wasted motion. No nerves. Just focus.
Through seven games, the Hawaii kicker is a perfect 19-for-19 on field goals, putting him on pace to break the NCAA record for most field goals in a season—a mark set in 2003 by Georgia’s Billy Bennett. He’s not just making kicks. He’s making history.
From Tokyo to the Islands
Five years ago, Matsuzawa didn’t speak a word of English. Today, he’s one of the most reliable kickers in the country and a fan favorite on the islands, known affectionately as “The Tokyo Toe.”
The nickname started as a joke over lunch.
“Me and my long snapper were eating together, and he said, ‘You’re going to have a great year—you need a nickname,’” Matsuzawa said. “He came up with Tokyo Toe. Now everyone calls me that. I love it.”
Born and raised in Tokyo, Matsuzawa played soccer through high school. His transition to football didn’t begin until he was 20 years old, after attending his first NFL game in person—an experience that changed the trajectory of his life.
“That experience stuck in my head,” he recalled. “I thought, I want to be an NFL player. I didn’t know anything about football, but I bought a football and started practicing.”
He didn’t have coaches, teammates, or any formal training. What he had was obsession and access to YouTube.
“I watched NFL games, American TV shows—anything that helped me learn English and football,” he said. “Football became my second language.”
Building the Perfect Routine
Matsuzawa’s form is self-taught, modeled after Seahawks kicker Jason Myers. He studied tape, mimicked the rhythm, and recorded his own practices to refine every movement.
“Jason Myers is very fundamental,” he said. “I imitate him every day. I record myself and watch later to improve.”
He also built a meticulous weekly routine, limiting kicks during practice to preserve his leg and emphasizing mental training as much as physical.
“Before every kick, I tell myself three things,” he explained. “I am elite. Focus on myself. And: I make this field goal.”
That mental discipline showed when Hawaii upset Stanford earlier this season on his game-winning kick.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Matsuzawa said. “I had practiced that moment a thousand times.”
Adapting to a New World
Leaving Japan for junior college in Ohio was a culture shock, compounded by a language barrier and the complexity of football terminology.
“My first two years, I had no idea what the coaches were saying,” he admitted. “When I got to Hawaii, Coach Sheffield and Coach Timmy taught me football 101. They believed in me when nobody else did.”
That belief became his foundation.
“It wasn’t about the beaches or the food,” he said of choosing Hawaii. “It was the people. The coaches showed me love from day one.”
Matsuzawa’s family has shared in the journey from afar, watching his games from Japan despite the time difference.
“My family watches on stream,” he said. “Not many people in Japan know how to watch, but they were here for the first three games this season. That was special.”
The Art of the Kick
Matsuzawa approaches his craft with an artist’s sensibility.
“Kicking is art,” he said. “It’s created by eleven players—long snapper, holder, kicker—it’s a beautiful moment every time.”
Earlier this year, he hit a career-long 52-yarder, but he knows he can go farther.
“Sixty yards,” he said without hesitation. “Coach believes in me, so I believe in myself.”
Whether it’s a 25-yard chip shot or a bomb from midfield, he applies the same principle instilled by his special teams coach: one shot, one kill.
“We only get one opportunity to perform,” Matsuzawa said. “Whatever happens, I focus on doing my job one at a time.”
Lessons from the Tokyo Toe
Matsuzawa didn’t take the traditional path to college football greatness. He started late, learned from scratch, and built his own method for success.
“I started at 20 years old,” he said. “I told myself this is going to be my life—being a football player for the next 20 or 40 years. Nobody can ruin that.”
He hopes his journey inspires others in Japan to take the same leap.
“If I can do it, any Japanese player can do it,” he said. “Believe in yourself. Be disciplined. It’s all small things, but they matter.”
Eyes on the Horizon
Matsuzawa still dreams of the NFL, but he refuses to get ahead of himself.
“My dream is to go to the NFL,” he said. “But right now, I’m a college football player. My goal is simple—make every single field goal this year. One by one.”
So far, the Tokyo Toe hasn’t missed.
AloJapan.com