Matt Gay is in the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Just a few years ago, he hardly knew anything about American football and rather saw his future in football. A good friend got him into football – and died shortly after

Munich – Possibly Matt Gay will get a little support from above at the Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Rams kicker believes his old friend Parker Overly will assist him in crucial situations on the field.

“He’s certainly put the ball through the uprights a few times. He helped me a lot,” Gay once told the Deseret News. Overly was also a talented college athlete before he was killed in a car accident in April 2017.

He is the reason Gay became a kicker in the first place. Actually, his love was football. He played for the Utah Valley University football team for two years and was even part of the USA U17 national team.

His buddy Overly, however, had made it his mission to encourage him to change sports. “He always pushed me to play football. He used to tell me to hang up my football boots.”

After much persuasion, Gay gave in and swapped the round leather ball for the egg. Overly was obviously right. Gay turned out to be a natural. To be better developed as a football player, he transferred to the University of Utah and played for the Utah Utes.

Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football

In his very first season, he hit the ground running. Gay won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football. “When the season started, I didn’t even know what the Lou Groza Award was. I didn’t know much about football,” he admits looking back.

Overly, however, was oblivious to the successes. All this happened a few months after his fatal accident. Originally, it was the wish of the two to experience the rise to professional sport together. “He told me that he would be my agent if I made it to the NFL,” Gay recalls.

Unfortunately, it didn’t come to that. And yet, the kicker feels that his childhood friend continues to make an impact on his career: “I feel like everything has just clicked since then. He’s definitely been there for me on the other side to help balance things out. “

Fired by Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Gay was picked in the 5th round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, he was only partially convincing with a field-goal success rate of 77.1 percent. He was released for the start of the 2020 season as Tampa Bay went for veteran Ryan Succop.

After a brief stint on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad, Gay joined the Los Angeles Rams in mid-November 2020 because their actual kicker, Kai Forbath, had suffered an injury. “The Rams gave me a great opportunity,” Gay said.

Since then, he has proven to be exceedingly accurate. He converted 87.5 percent of all field goals in the remaining games of the 2020 season, and even earned a 94.1 percent success rate in the 2021 season.

Cooper Kupp puts a “lot of faith” in the kicker

His personal highlight: In the Divisional Playoff Game, the 27-year-old kicked the Rams to victory in the game against Tampa Bay with the last play of the game via a 30-yard field goal. That is not the only reason why he is held in high esteem within the team.

“He has a very difficult job. He’s done an incredible job all year,” praises wide receiver Cooper Kupp. “He’s a Pro Bowl kicker, he’s one of the best in the league, so we have a lot of confidence in him. “