Flood lights beamed down onto the turf at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, as more than 63,000 fans settled into their seats to watch then-No. 4 Florida State take on then-No. 11 Mississippi in 2016. As kickoff loomed, nervous Ricky Aguayo tried to remain loose on the sidelines. It was the freshman kicker’s collegiate debut, and he had big shoes to fill.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t know what the college game was like,” Aguayo said. “Obviously I knew my standard was set high.”

His brother, Roberto, had already cemented his legacy in the college game. The now-24-year-old is the most accurate kicker in NCAA history (96.73 percent) and was taken 59th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2016 NFL Draft. The last time FSU played before that night in 2016, it was Roberto taking the kicks. Suddenly, it was his little brother, Ricky, who had his first opportunity to step away from his brother’s shadow.

Through two quarters, Aguayo did his job, nailing two field goals and an extra point. Down 15 by halftime, the Seminoles used a 23-point outburst in the third quarter to take the lead. Aguayo remained perfect, tacking on a 40-yarder along with two extra points in that span. It was in the fourth quarter when the freshman’s first-ever college game turned into one he would remember forever.

He added on three more field goals, breaking the Florida State single-game record for field goals made (six), as well as the NCAA record for field goals made by an FBS kicker in his first game ever. More importantly, it was a mark his brother Roberto never reached, something Ricky’s proud of.

“I’m not trying to pave my way based on his career,” Ricky said. “I’m just trying to create my own thing.”

Despite Aguayo’s desire to form his own legacy, he and Roberto maintain a close-knit relationship thanks to a life-long shared passion: kicking. But before they became collegiate stars, the brothers started their athletic careers playing soccer, Roberto Aguayo Sr., Ricky’s father, said in an email to The Daily Orange.

But football was where the duo thrived. Roberto, 4 years older than his brother, started out playing Pop Warner football in the Aguayo’s hometown of Mascotte, Florida. Roberto liked that field goals were worth two points, Ricky said, so he volunteered to kick at every opportunity. Ricky followed suit when he started playing Mighty Mites, a similar program to Pop Warner. Seeing his brother’s success made him want to try kicking, and soon after he found out he was just as good.

“I did the same thing and I got the same results,” Aguayo said. “That’s when we started loving to kick.”

After graduating from their respective youth leagues, the Aguayo brothers turned kicking field goals from an in-game task to a hobby they practiced endlessly. Ricky’s most vivid memories of practicing with his brother for hours at a time came on the field at South Lake (Florida) High School, where Roberto was a student.

“Roberto would always look after Ricky,” Aguayo Sr. said, “and made sure that Ricky was kicking the ball correctly.”

When it was time for Ricky to go to high school, he and his family steered away from South Lake and instead chose renowned sports and performance school IMG Academy. Ricky didn’t get much practice kicking from distance or in high-pressure situations at IMG because his team would often blow out its opponents, he said. The only times Aguayo got to step foot on the field were for kickoffs and extra points.

During Ricky’s high school years, Roberto quickly gained national attention at Florida State. He was part of the undefeated 2014 BCS National Championship team led by future No. 1 pick Jameis Winston. In that Jan. 6 game against Auburn, Roberto tallied a 41-yarder, a 35-yarder and four extra points. By the time his illustrious four-year career was complete, Roberto had converted 267 field goals on 276 attempts.

As Roberto’s college career began to wind down, Ricky’s was just about to start. It wasn’t long until Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher began to pursue the high school senior. Ricky and his family explored other options, too, visiting Auburn and Florida.

“We knew we liked him and we liked him early,” Fisher said. “It was a very tough process. It was definitely not a foregone conclusion.”

Eventually, Aguayo decided he wanted to become a Seminole, saying that other schools “didn’t have my heart like Florida State did.”

Since his historic first night as a college kicker, Aguayo continues to impress into his second year. In two years, he has converted on 94 kicks in 105 attempts (89.5 percent). He was one of four sophomores listed on the 2017 Lou Groza Award Watch List, an award that goes to the best kicker in the nation.

Ricky followed his brother’s footsteps all throughout his life. It started out by adopting a hobby that soon turned into their lives. Now, he has an chance to step away from his lifelong practice partner and pave his own way.

But more importantly, an opportunity to be remembered as Ricky, not Roberto’s little brother.

“I definitely think he has the potential to (be better than Roberto).” Fisher said.

Published on November 3, 2017 at 5:11 pm

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu