Matt Araiza played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, setting the National Collegiate Athletic Association season record for average punt yardage as a junior.
19 Facts About Matt Araiza
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Matt Araiza grew up in San Diego, California, and attended Rancho Bernardo High School, where he played football and soccer, and was a hurdler on the track and field team.
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Matt Araiza made 37 field goals and was a two-time All-America selection as a placekicker.
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Matt Araiza committed to play college football at San Diego State University over offers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Montana.
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At SDSU, Matt Araiza was redshirted his true freshman season for the Aztecs.
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Matt Araiza served as the backup to All-Mountain West Conference kicker John Baron II.
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Matt Araiza became the team's placekicker as a redshirt freshman and made a school-record 22 field goals on 26 attempts and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West.
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Matt Araiza made 10 of 14 field goal attempts in SDSU's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West for a second straight season.
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Matt Araiza assumed punting duties during the team's opening game against UNLV and averaged 49.8 yards on five punts.
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In 2021, Matt Araiza was named first-string punter in addition to his kicking duties going into his redshirt junior season and was named a midseason All-American by ESPN at the position.
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Matt Araiza has stated that he does not "necessarily love the nickname", though he recognized it as a "huge compliment".
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Matt Araiza won the Ray Guy Award as the top punter in the nation, and he became the second player in Aztecs history to be named a unanimous All-American.
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Matt Araiza was the third punter selected in the draft, behind two others in the fourth round.
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Matt Araiza signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on February 22,2024, after he had been dropped from the suit.
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Matt Araiza is of Mexican descent through his father who was born in Mexico.
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In 2022, Matt Araiza was named as a defendant in a civil case in which two SDSU teammates and he were accused of gang raping a then-17-year-old girl, who was under the age of consent in California, at an off-campus party in 2021.
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Matt Araiza retained the right to sue his accuser's lawyer, Dan Gilleon, after a one-year cooling off period, a favorable ruling for a potential malicious prosecution claim.
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Matt Araiza's accuser continued her case against the other defendants.
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Matt Araiza said that "the settlement met my satisfaction"; the terms were not disclosed.