USF’s Nico Gramatica Has the Leg — and the Legacy — to Make History

The name “Gramatica” is football royalty in Tampa.

It starts with the legendary Martin Gramatica, whose 9-year NFL career started with five and a half seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a key contributor to the Bucs’ first Super Bowl championship.

Bill and Santiago Gramatica both kicked at USF, and Bill’s 63-yard field goal in 2000 stands as the longest in team history.

The next link in the Gramatica chain is Martin’s son, Nico.

He’s a sophomore kicker (what else?) for the Bulls, and at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, he might be small in stature, but he has thunder in his leg.

He has made his presence known. Last season, he was the designated “long-distance” kicker for the Bulls, and he answered that challenge with successful field goals from 58, 52, and 51 yards. Against Miami, he became the first kicker in team history with two field goals of more than 50 yards in the same game.

He also handled kickoffs for the Bulls.

“I think this is a dream place for any student athlete,” he said. “It’s just the facilities, the people, the family atmosphere. And last year, when I came in last spring, everyone on the team was super nice.

“They all were nice, loving, and just brought me in as a teammate. And that's one thing that I thank the whole team for. And just because sometimes, as a specialist, they try to push you away. But now I think we're all really connected.”

His role likely will expand this season. John Cannon, who handled shorter field goal attempts last season, left via the Transfer Portal. With only two place-kickers on the roster -- Adam Zouagui transferred in from Davidson last December -- that would seem to put Nico at the head of the line.

”Adam has done a good job pushing Nico,” Bulls coach Alex Golesh said. “Nico is on such a different level right now, like he is so locked in, into his craft.”

To simulate what he might face in a game, during a two-minute drill in one practice, Golesh sent Gramatica out to kick a 64-yard field goal.

“It was like, let's see what this looks like. Let's go, which is really, really cool mindset-wise. That little human being is different in a really, really, really good way.”

Bucs fans will remember that Martin could be a bit excitable after a successful kick. Nico seems to have inherited that trait. After his 58-yarder against Miami, he shook his fist in the air and chest-bumped Golesh after rushing to the sideline.

“Growing up playing soccer, whenever you go on the field and you kick a field goal, you think it's like a goal, and you just get excited,” he said.

“And it's just the best time when you kick a field goal. And I feel like that's like when you score a goal in soccer.”

Nico has another reason to be excited. His younger brother, Gaston, is a senior at Tampa’s Cambridge Christian High School and, of course, is a kicker on the football team.

Gaston has committed to join the Bulls next season.

“It's gonna be awesome. I'm so happy that G got to commit and stay here in Tampa, one for our family, just to stay together. But secondly, we work off each other too,” Nico said.

“Whenever we go out to kick together, I can tell what's wrong with him sometimes, and he helps me all the time. and tells me if something's wrong or something's off. So like, we're both going to try to help each other be the best we can.”

It’s just carrying on the family tradition.