The Philadelphia Eagles will get a front seat view of a North Penn football alum this week when Matt Ammendola suits up for the Arizona Cardinals as their newly signed kicker. 

From Friday night lights in Crawford Stadium to the NFL, North Penn alums Brandon McManus and Ammendola are kicking it off one game at a time. 

After McManus graduated from North Penn, he attended Temple University. At Temple, he continued to play football and now holds the Temple career records for field goals made (60), field goals attempted (83), points scored (338), and punting average (45.3) stats via owlsports.com. McManus’s NFL career began when he got signed by the Indianapolis Colts after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft; this was short-lived because he got waived before the season started.

 After getting waived, he played four preseason games for the New York Giants before being traded to the Denver Broncos. On October 3, 2014, he earned the starting position on the team following the release of Matt Prater. On November 11, 2014, he was waived by the Broncos after the team signed free-agent kicker Connor Barth. After clearing waivers, he resigned with the Broncos and spent the rest of the season as the team’s kickoff specialist. 

Going into the 2015 season, McManus won the starting spot, and the Broncos cut Barth. In the 2016 season, the Broncos made it to Superbowl 50, and McManus made three field goals and an extra point. The Broncos won the Superbowl with a score of 24-10. In 2020, McManus signed a four-year, $17.2 million contract extension with the Broncos through the 2024 season. McManus is currently 31, and the 2022-2023 season is his 8th year in the league. 

He was known for consistently hitting his field goals at North Penn. Those who watched the McManus and the Knights play every Friday knew it.

“Every time we were at the 50 and couldn’t get a first down, Coach Beck would go for the field goal cause McManus would make it,” teacher Christopher King said. 

Brandon McManus career stats via ESPN.com:

Field Goals made:206

Field Goals attempted: 252

Field goal %:81.7

Longest Field goal:61 yards

McManus Returns to NPHS

Brandon McManus 61 Yard Field Goal

Ammendola attended Oklahoma State after graduating from North Penn. He averaged 63.1 yards and kicked off 88 times for 41 touchbacks in his first year via pro-football-reference.com. Due to Ammendola’s kickoffs, Oklahoma State led the nation in opponent starting field position. After going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, he played for the Carolina Panthers. On July 31, 2021, Ammendola signed with the New York Jets and was released on December 4, 2021. Three days later, Ammendola was signed to the practice squad. On January 10, 2022, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets and was released on March 29, 2022.

 Ammendola signed with the Houston Texans in August 2022 and was waived two days later. In September 2022, he was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster for the Chiefs’ Week 3 game against the Indianapolis Colts. The team released him on September 26, 2022. This week he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals due to an injury to their starting kicker Matt Prater. He will be elevated to their active roster as they take on the 4-0 Philadelphia Eagles. Ammendola is currently 25 and this will be his fifth team in two seasons.

Matt Ammendola’s career stats via NFL.com:

Field Goals made:16

Field Goals attempted: 23

Field goal %:69.6

Longest Field goal: 49 yards

NFL Free Agent Kicker Matt Ammendola Pre-Season Kicking 2022 7 for 7 MOCK workout LIVE REPS!!!

North Penn Head coach Dick Beck had the fortunate opportunity to coach Matt and Brandon.

“It’s great when they are making field goals; it’s heartbreaking when they miss,” Beck stated. 

Catch Matt Ammendola’s start for the Arizona Cardinals against his hometown team Sunday at 4:25 pm est.