Moody committed to the University of Michigan in February 2018.[2][3] He initially committed without a scholarship but was put on scholarship in June 2018.[4]
As a true freshman in 2018, Moody set a Wolverines' single-game record with six field goals in a 31–20 victory over Indiana.[5][6] In April 2020, he set a personal record in practice with a 69-yard field goal.[7]
Moody returned for a fifth season in 2022, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted due to the 2020 season being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] He went 5-for-5 on field goals, including a career-long 54-yard kick, against Michigan State on October 29, 2022.[15]
With his third-quarter extra point on November 5, 2022, in a game against Rutgers, Moody became the fifth player in Michigan history to reach 300 career points.[16] With his first-quarter extra point on November 12 in a game against Nebraska, Moody became the third player in Michigan history to record consecutive seasons with 100-plus points, following Anthony Thomas (1999–2000) and Tom Harmon (1939–40).[17] With four field goals against Illinois on November 19, 2022, including the game-winner with nine seconds left, Moody became the Michigan career field goal leader, with 65, passing Garrett Rivas, and tied Remy Hamilton's single-season mark of 25.[18]
For the 2022 regular season, Moody converted 26 of 32 field goal attempts for an average of 81.25%. He also converted 53 of 53 on extra points. He also led Michigan with 131 points scored.[19] With Moody's field goal in the second quarter during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, he broke Desmond Howard's single-season scoring record (138 points) set in 1991, and finished with 147 points during the season. Moody finished his career with 355 points, setting a new all-time Michigan scoring record, surpassing the previous record of 354 points set by Garrett Rivas. He also set the program record for longest field goal made at 59-yards, surpassing the previous record of 57-yards held by Quinn Nordin and Hayden Epstein.[20]
Moody was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round (99th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft, making him just the second kicker to be selected within the top 100 picks in the last 15 drafts (along with Roberto Aguayo in 2016),[22] and only the fifth kicker since 2000 to be selected in the first three rounds.[a][24] He and Michigan teammate Brad Robbins became the second punter and kicker tandem to be taken in the same draft in the last 40 years.[25] He was the first of three kickers drafted in the 2023 draft, followed by Chad Ryland and Anders Carlson.[26]
2023 season
Moody, despite having been injured in the final preseason game, was cleared as the starting kicker for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. During the game, he made all 3 field goal attempts and all three extra point attempts. This made him the first rookie kicker since Justin Tucker in 2012 to go 3-for-3 or better on extra points and field goal attempts in a season opener.[27] During Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, Moody again made all 3 field goal attempts and all 3 extra point attempts, including a 57-yard field goal, which was the longest successful field goal by a rookie kicker in 49ers' franchise history.[28] In Week 6, Moody had a poor performance in Cleveland, missing 2 field goals, including a potential game winning kick from 41 yards away as time expired. Moody bounced back afterward; in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, he set the longest streak of 53 straight extra points made since the NFL moved the extra point attempt back to the 15-yard-line.[29] Moody made 21 field goals in 25 attempts during the regular season.[30] He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.[31] He missed a field goal early in each of San Francisco's two playoff victories, but ultimately made the winning kick in both.[32] In Super Bowl LVIII, Moody set the record for longest field goal made in a Super Bowl when he kicked a 55-yarder in the second quarter, which also provided the first three points scored in the game. However, the record was broken just one quarter later when opposing kicker Harrison Butker made a 57 yard field goal.[33] Although Moody had an extra point attempt blocked in the fourth quarter, he made another field goal of over 50 yards to give San Francisco a three-point lead later in the quarter, and kicked a shorter field goal in overtime to again give the 49ers the lead before the Kansas City Chiefs scored a touchdown to win 25–22.[34]
2024 season
In Week 1 against the New York Jets, Moody converted all six of his field goal attempts and converted both of his extra point attempts in the 32-19 victory. With his six converted field goals, Moody tied the franchise record for most field goals converted in a single game.[35] He completed his next 7 of 8 field goals over the next few weeks before missing week’s six and seven after suffering a high ankle sprain in week five.
^Baumgardner, Nick (October 29, 2023). "Jake Moody selected by 49ers in third round, highest draft pick for kicker since 2016". The Athletic. Retrieved February 12, 2024. Moody's selection marks the fifth time since 2000 a kicker was selected in the top 100. He is the first kicker to be selected in the third round since Nate Kaeding in 2004 — Aguayo (2016) and Mike Nugent (2005) were second-round picks.
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