Jai Patel

2026 Hampshire Honor Society:

2026 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar:

2025 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches):

School Record - Consecutive Made Field Goals (18 from 2024-25)

2025 Academic All-Big Ten

Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 27, 2025)

2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee

2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List

2024 Academic All-Big Ten:

School Record - Season Field Goal Accuracy (83.3% in 2023)

2023-24 Rutgers Athletics Sophomore of the Year

2023 Third Team All-Big Ten (Media)

2023 Fourth Team All-Big Ten ( Phil Steele )

2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches)

2023 Academic All-Big Ten

Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 11, 2023):

Video: Placekicker Jai Patel to Return for Fifth Year While Pursuing Master's Degree:

2025 (Senior): Played in all 12 games ... voted honorable mention All-Big Ten (12/3) by the coaches ... selected to the watch list for the 2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy (7/31) and a nominee for the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team (7/15) ... selected to the National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society (4/8) ... honored as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (7/13) ... named to the Academic All-Big Ten list (12/10) for the third time ... went 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) on field goals ... had a long of 51 yards ... posted five games with multiple makes ... connected on 37-of-39 extra points ... second on the team with 76 points scored ... hit a 44-yard field goal at No. 1 Ohio State (11/22) ... went 5-for-5 on extra points in win over Maryland (11/8) ... made from 26 and 40 yards away at Illinois (11/1) ... named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week (10/27) after hitting from 20 yards away to tie the game with 1:06 remaining and from 30 out as time expired to beat Purdue (10/25) ... matched career high with a 51-yard make against No. 8 Oregon (10/18) ... made from 37 and 35 yards away at Washington (10/10) ... good on two field goals and four extra points versus Norfolk State (9/13) ... made six extra points and a 39-yard field goal against Miami (Ohio) (9/6) ... went 2-for-2 on field goals versus Ohio (8/28) to set the school record for consecutive makes.

2024 (Junior): Played in all 13 games ... named to the Academic All-Big Ten list (12/12) for the second time ... went 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) on field goals, tied for the third-most accurate season in program history ... made 13 consecutive field goals to end the season to match the program record ... went 15-of-17 on attempts inside 50 yards ... had a long of 49 yards ... recorded four games with multiple makes with a high of four conversions ... connected on 41-of-42 extra points ... led the team with 86 points scored ... successful on all seven kicks (five extra points, two field goals) in the Rate Bowl versus Kansas State (12/26) ... went a season-best 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 42 in snowy conditions in victory at Michigan State (11/30) ... good from 34 yards away against No. 24 Illinois (11/23) ... drilled a 46-yard field goal in the win at Maryland (11/16) ... connected on a fourth-quarter attempt from 22 yards away in win over Minnesota (11/9) ... made two field goals at USC (10/25) ... connected from 49 (season long) and 35 yards away versus UCLA (10/19) ... hit a 24-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining to put team ahead in win at Virginia Tech (9/21) ... converted a season-high seven extra points against Akron (9/7) ... connected on a 36-yard field goal and made all five extra points versus Howard (8/29) ... named Preseason All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports (third team) (6/28).

2023 (Sophomore): Played in 12 games ... named Rutgers Athletics Sophomore of the Year (7/18) ... voted Third Team All-Big Ten by the media and honorable mention by the coaches (11/28) ... selected Fourth Team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele (12/22) ... named to the Academic All-Big Ten list (12/11) ... went 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) on field goals, the most accurate season in program history ... went 13-of-14 on attempts inside of 50 yards ... added makes from 50 and 51 yards ... had four games with multiple makes and two with three conversions ... connected on 33-of-34 extra points ... led the team with 78 points ... connected on four extra points and a 35-yard field goal in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami (12/28) ... nailed a 50-yard attempt versus Maryland (11/25) ... added two field goals at No. 12 Penn State (11/18) ... went 3-for-3 against No. 1/3 Ohio State (11/4) ... connected on two field goals in the win over Michigan State (10/14) ... hit seven extra points and a 44-yard field goal versus Wagner (9/30) ... went 5-for-5 on extra points against Virginia Tech (9/16) ... named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week (9/11) after making all three attempts with a career-long of 51 in the win over Temple (9/9) ... connected on a 32-yard field goal and three extra points in collegiate debut versus Northwestern (9/3).

2022 (Freshman): Did not see game action.

Prior to Rutgers: Coached by John Viotto at South Brunswick … left holding the school record with 22 career field goals, 67 touchbacks and 78-for-78 on PATs … earned USA Today All-New Jersey as a senior in 2021 after converting nine field goals with a long of 42 yards and all 23 PATs … also named NJ.com First Team All-State, First Team All-Group V and First Team All-Division ... selected as Central Jersey Sports Radio Special Teams Player of the Year ... launched 29-of-39 kickoffs for a touchback … served as the Vikings' punter and as a team captain … named USA Today All-New Jersey, First Team Greater Middlesex Conference and first team all-area as a junior after making 7-of-8 field goals with a long of 40 yards and all 22 PATs in 2020 … booted a touchback on 19-of-36 kickoffs … a third team all-state selection as a sophomore in 2019 with a long of 44 yards … rated a four-star kicker by Kohl's Kicking.

Major: Business Analytics Information Technology / Rutgers Business Graduate School