In a conference defined by fourth-quarter margins, field position battles, and weather that can turn a routine kick into a physics experiment, having a reliable specialist in the Big Ten is not a luxury. It’s survival.

Northwestern has found its steady hand in graduate kicker Jack Olsen.

At 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, Olsen isn’t the loudest voice in the locker room, nor the most imposing figure on the field. But in a league where games are routinely decided by one possession, and often times sometimes by one kick, he has become one of Northwestern’s most trusted assets. Built through patience and precision, Olsen’s rise reflects the consistency the Wildcats now depend on in critical moments.

Olsen’s rise hasn’t followed the typical arc of a Big Ten standout. Before Northwestern, he spent time at Michigan State, where the competition at specialist positions is notoriously unforgiving. He packed his bags and transferred to Evanston with a hardened resolve to  build something sturdier.

He entered the 2024 season not as a headliner, but as a capable weapon the Wildcats hoped could stabilize their special teams unit. In five games, he did just that, converting 7-of-10 field goals and all 10 extra-point attempts, including a season-long 46-yarder against Eastern Illinois. He went 4-for-5 inside 40 yards, demonstrating the consistency that Big Ten teams depend on when weather conditions turn unpredictable.

The leap from dependable to indispensable came this fall.

His performance earned him Academic All–Big Ten honors, highlighting the mental discipline that often separates good kickers from dependable ones. Named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after going 3-of-3 on field goals and 1-of-1 on extra points at Penn State, Olsen has secured his position with Northwestern and in the hearts of college football fans across the Chicagoland.

It was a statement not just for Olsen, but for Northwestern’s special teams unit. In a conference where programs like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan have long treated special teams as a pillar of identity, Northwestern has been steadily rebuilding that same foundation. Olsen’s performance placed him firmly in the conversation among the Big Ten’s most reliable specialists—a group where consistency, more than leg strength, determines reputation.

Big Ten football is a defensive league. Points are expensive. Drives stall. Weather changes everything. And specialists often determine outcomes.

Northwestern has lived this reality for years. Last-possession games, windy November matchups, and the growing parity across the conference mean that teams without a steady kicker are teams constantly playing uphill. With Olsen, the Wildcats don’t have that problem.

He gives Northwestern something every Big Ten contender needs: predictability. If the Wildcats cross midfield, they know the possession isn’t wasted. If the game hinges on three points, they trust the ball on his foot. And in a conference expanding to new markets, new rivals, and new levels of competition, that trust is invaluable.

Jack Olsen didn’t arrive as Northwestern’s go-to kicker. He built his way there, kick by kick, week by week, season by season. In a league where the smallest margins shape the biggest moments, the Wildcats have secured exactly the specialist they need.

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