From Soccer to Football, Boston College K Luca Lombardo is Using His Skills For Success

Boston College football has been consistent for all the wrong reasons throughout 2025. 

Sitting at 1-7 on the year and 0-5 in ACC play, the Eagles’ challenges have been constant throughout their seven-game skid. 

However, one positive constant has been the special teams unit, specifically kicker Luca Lombardo. 

After the redshirt junior missed a majority of the Eagles’ 2024 campaign due to injury, Lombardo has returned in perfect fashion. 

Through eight games this season, he has gone 11-for-11 from field goals and 25-for-25 on his extra point attempts. 

Lombardo spoke after practice on Thursday about his success this season where he credited his teammates punter Shamus Florio and long snapper Cooper Crook. 

“Cooper and Shamus have been great,” said Lombardo. “I feel like I have the best snapping and holding situation in the country which makes my job a lot easier.” 

Lombardo talked about his return after being injured as well and had a positive attitude towards it. 

“It’s great to be back,” said Lombardo. “I ended up getting that year back for a medical redshirt which is great, but injuries happen and [I’m] just trying to keep my leg healthy and strong.” 

Eagles head coach Bill O’Brien spoke highly of Lombardo after practice too and called him one of the most important players on the team. 

“He’s done a great job,” said O’Brien. “He has great demeanor for a kicker. There’s a lot of pressure on the kicker, that’s points on the board, and he doesn’t feel that at all. If you know him at all, he’s got a great personality for that position. He’s very, very smart. He was a soccer player at Syracuse and transferred here before I got here. He’s been through some injuries. He hurt his quad last year, hurt his shoulder last year. So he had some injuries and he’s been healthy, knock on wood, he’s been very healthy this year. That’s helped us a lot because the record isn’t what we want it to be, but he’s one of the most valuable guys on the team.” 

This season, Lombardo has a career-best 52-yard field goal which came in Boston College’s Week 5 28-24 loss to Cal, but that mark is apparently well within his range. 

“Luca will tell you he’s kicked a 67-yarder in practice which I don’t think I was at that practice,” said O’Brien. “But he’s definitely got a strong leg and he can kick a 50+ yard field goal no doubt about it. Now, taking into account when [to put him in] and all that is a whole different thing. He has the ability to get it in the air very quickly so it’s hard to block. He does a great job.” 

Lombardo confirmed he has kicked that distance, but it was at home over the summer rather than at practice and has video proof of it.

“I go out to my field at home all the time and check my distance over the summer, so I’ve hit a 67-yarder,” said Lombardo. “I told Coach [O’Brien] I’ve got it on tape. But depending on the situation, what happens, I’m always ready to go, no matter how far it is.” 

The Westport, Conn., native grew up playing soccer in a football family and shared why and when he decided to make the transition to the gridiron. 

“My high school football team always asked me to kick, but with soccer it just didn’t work out,” said Lombardo. “And then my dad played football in college so he was always urging me to try it out. The summer after my freshman year I tried it out and here we are.” 

Additionally, he stated that the process to switch came easily due to his skills.

“I’ve been kicking balls my whole life, so the transition from soccer to football was pretty natural,” said Lombardo.

Lombardo shared that he feels confident when he has to go onto the field which is helped by his warmup prior to a game. 

“Yeah, definitely confident,” said Lombardo. “Every time I go out there, it all starts with my warmup. It’s great to have a good warmup to be confident in a game, so I think that’s something I keep in mind.” 

Lombardo will look to stay perfect this year as Boston College hosts No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.