Kicking Dreams Into Reality
October 19, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Kyle Ferrie set his mind on being a Bulldog, achieved it and is now already shining as a freshman.
STARKVILLE – Searcy, Arkansas sits about 200 miles to the southeast of Fayetteville. That's give or take about a three-hour car ride from the county seat of White County to the home of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
There'll probably be quite a few making that trek this weekend as Mississippi State battles the Hogs on Saturday. It'll be a chance to reconnect with the Searcy-boy-turned-State kicker Kyle Ferrie.
"Whether they're [Hog fans] or not, it's going to be super exciting to see friends and family from The Natural State," Ferrie said.
It'll be a moment that very few – if any – could've predicted as recently as four years ago.
Well, check that. One person predicted it – Kyle Ferrie himself.
Thanksgiving 2019
A 15-year-old Ferrie sat in the stands at Davis Wade Stadium as MSU hosted Ole Miss in one of the most infamous Egg Bowls that's ever been contested.
Surely you remember. A late Rebel touchdown got Ole Miss within a point. But a hiked leg and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty made the PAT attempt anything but automatic.
It was no good. State wrapped the game in Maroon and White.
Earlier this week, Ferrie recalled his reaction to the madness.
"After they missed that extra point, I turned to my stepdad [Mike McCafferty] and said, 'I could've made that,'" Ferrie said. "I was just a freshman in high school who'd never really kicked in a game. I now look back on it and think I was such an idiot because I know now the pressure you face when you're out there, but that's what went through my mind."
McCafferty remembers another comment his stepson made that evening.
"That night, at one point during the game, he leans over to me and said, 'I'm going to play for Mississippi State and I'm going to be their kicker one of these days," McCafferty shared.
Four years later, Ferrie is right where he said he'd be.
An Unusual Path Begins
Here's the thing about Ferrie's personal prophecy. He wasn't even playing football at the time he uttered it. It's just one of the many things that makes Ferrie's road to Starkville all the more incredible. It's almost as though Ferrie was simply destined to don the Maroon and White.
In about a five-year span, Ferrie went from being a soccer standout with no real college football loyalties, to one of the country's premier specialists with all eyes on State.
The first piece of the equation fell into place on Christmas Eve of 2015. That's when McCafferty went on his first date with Ferrie's mother, Staci. A mutual friend was a bit of a matchmaker for McCafferty and Staci and the two hit it off, marrying in June of 2016 when Ferrie was 12 years old.
McCafferty is a native of Kosciusko, Mississippi, and comes from a family full of diehard Bulldogs and MSU alums. He once dreamed of playing for State himself – albeit on the baseball diamond.
That never happened, but McCafferty's love for Bulldog baseball remained all the same. And it was that love for the Diamond Dawgs that first captivated Ferrie.
McCafferty made trips to Dudy Noble Field as often as he could. His stepson began tagging along.
"He just absolutely fell in love with the place," McCafferty said. "He loved the energy in Starkville and around the Bulldog fanbase and anytime I came over, he wanted to go."
Despite growing up in Hog territory, Ferrie says he was instantly attached to the Dawgs.
"It was pretty easy to convert me," Ferrie said. "I wasn't held down to any team."
McCafferty and Ferrie followed the Diamond Dawgs to Omaha. They bonded over the baseball Bulldogs. But then came that Egg Bowl and everything got taken up a notch.
It was actually Ferrie's first-ever college football game to attend, but that night solidified in his mind how his heart was Maroon and he was going to kick for Mississippi State.
"After that game, I was pretty hooked," Ferrie said. "The cowbells were still ringing in my ears, and I couldn't even hear the radio on the way home."
Kicking It Into High Gear
It's one thing to discover you love and want to kick at MSU. It's another thing altogether to make it come to fruition.
Now, Ferrie was already pretty good at kicking. He just wasn't on the Harding Academy football team until his sophomore year and the 2020 season.
A new coach saw Ferrie – who was simply helping out with the team in a manager-like role – banging long field goals after practice. Ferrie had previously been told if he wanted to kick on the team, he'd need to play another position as well. Well, the new coach gave Ferrie the chance to simply come do what he loved. Ferrie took him up on the offer and his kicking career quickly took off.
Ferrie shined as a sophomore. He then took part in Kohl's Kicking Camps which gave him a ton of exposure and attention.
"Our mailbox then stayed full [of recruiting letters] during Kyle's junior and senior seasons," McCafferty said.
But there was one particular opportunity Ferrie was waiting on. One down in the Magnolia State.
It eventually came. State special teams coordinator Eric Mele and former head coach, the late, great Mike Leach, finally got their hands on film of Ferrie. Ferrie was invited to Starkville for a camp and had an incredibly strong showing. That led to him being invited back again to compete against a few other kickers. By the time the process was over, Mele let Ferrie know he had a spot at State if he wanted it.
The decision was a no-brainer for Ferrie.
"I visited other schools, but there really was nothing that compared to Davis Wade Stadium for me," Ferrie said. "The cowbells. The people. Just the gameday atmosphere can't be beat."
Making The Most Of It
It's taken Ferrie no time to make the most of his opportunity. He immediately stepped on campus and won the spot as starting placekicker as a true freshman.
"He had a great [preseason] camp," Mele said of Ferrie. "He hit about 83 percent of his kicks in camp and won the job."
Ferrie wasted no time in winning over the entire Bulldog family either. He won a Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Award in his Bulldog debut after drilling 47 and 49-yard field goals.
As exciting as the first-game performance was for Ferrie, it was almost an out-of-body experience for his parents.
"I looked down and my shirt was moving from my heart beating so hard," McCafferty said. "I looked over at Kyle's mom and she's got tears streaming down her face. I hate the word surreal because it's such a cliché word, but it really was. I grew up watching State and dreamed of playing for State, but this was better to watch him."
Ferrie's success has since continued. Headed into this weekend, he's connected on eight of his 10 field goal tries and made all 20 of his extra-point attempts.
Both of his field goal misses have been 41 yards or longer and both misses have immediately been followed by makes.
It's perhaps Ferrie's best trait. He just can't be rattled.
"He's just really dogged, whether it's academics or his spiritual life or his football," McCafferty said. "He's just got the 'it' factor. He's just got it between the ears.
"God not only blessed him with athletic talent, but he also blessed him with like a steel-trap mind – able to shake off failures and focus on the now."
Ferrie has a rather simple explanation for his resilience.
"I think going out there after you miss one, it's almost like, 'Well, the worst has already happened,'" Ferrie said. "So, there should be no pressure at that point. When you're back out there, you know you're back out there for a reason. As a kicker, you have to remember that. It's just as much mental as it is physical. You've got to be in the right headspace to go out there and kick footballs in the fourth quarter of SEC football games and if you're not, you're going to be in a lot of trouble."
Just as Ferrie saw from the stands of Davis Wade in 2019 the night he determined all of this was in his own future.
Dream Fulfilled
All of this is a bit like a fairy tale, but none of it comes as a shock to McCafferty. When Ferrie told his stepdad his future plans on that fateful Thanksgiving night in 2019, McCafferty felt it was all 100 percent possible.
"I'm big about manifesting things and making your dreams into reality, so I was like, 'OK buddy. I believe you,'" McCafferty said. "God had a plan."
It all now continues on Saturday, not too far up the road from Ferrie's hometown. Dreams absolutely do come true.
"I think we're all just humbled by God that he's put Kyle on this platform," McCafferty said. "He's not just accomplishing a dream. He's getting to do it at his dream school."
