Brandon Aubrey has made 60-plus-yard field goals feel almost routine. He has done it six times, something no one else in the league has matched so far. But what makes his story stand out even more is how he arrived out of nowhere and established himself as one of the best kickers in the NFL. Since then, teams have quietly been searching for the next version of that rise.

That possibility might not be too far off. At UTSA’s Pro Day, kicker Jaffer Murphy caught the attention of multiple NFL scouts with his leg strength, athleticism, and overall profile. And according to draft analyst Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports, that performance is likely to trigger deeper evaluations.

“Murphy was not on the scouting radar before the season,” Pauline remarked. “Obviously, now teams are going to go back and look at the film again. I’m looking at his transfer, his skills. Lake Erie College, Florida Gulf Coast, Drake, and he ends up at UTSA. So, what’s going to happen with him is I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of teams that go in there and special teams coaches that go in there and individually work him out.”

In many ways, the comparison lines up. Much like Aubrey before his breakout, Murphy was largely unknown to scouts prior to his pro day. His path has also been unconventional. He transitioned to football after a stint in college soccer at Blake and Florida Gulf Coast between 2021 and 2023.

He then moved to Division II Lake Erie College in 2024, where he converted all 17 extra points and 13 of 24 field goals, including a 60-yarder that tied for the longest in Division II that season. After that, he entered the transfer portal again, and UTSA moved quickly.

Murphy, for his part, was ready to prove himself.

“So I had got a call from UTSA as soon as I hopped in the portal from UNC Chapel Hill,” he said to FOX San Antonio’s Chuck Miketinac. “And after that experience, I told him, ‘Hey, save your guys’ money. I don’t need a flight. I believe that I can come down there and show you guys what you need to see in order for me to be on the team.’

“I got that opportunity, stayed safe, drove 20 straight hours from North Carolina-Chapel Hill, down here in San Antonio, Texas. Got a couple of kickoffs that they wanted to see and shook hands, and they told me, ‘Welcome to Texas. Thank you so much.”

That mindset showed up, but his 2025 season at UTSA was more mixed than dominant. He primarily handled kickoff duties, recording 54 touchbacks on 88 kickoffs along with two tackles in coverage. He made his only extra-point attempt in UTSA’s 57–20 win over Florida International in the First Responder Bowl, but did not attempt a field goal during the season.

Then came the pro day, and that is where everything shifted.

Murphy worked out in front of several NFC scouts and delivered a near-flawless session. He converted 12 of 13 field goal attempts, including a 70-yard kick. On top of that, he ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash. It’s a number typically associated with skill position players rather than kickers.

That performance alone has pushed him into the conversation as a top kicker prospect ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

“You always see this in pro day,” Pauline added. “You always see some guy who steps out from nowhere, a no-name, someone people weren’t talking about, who just has a knockout pro day, and everybody falls in love with him…What’s going to happen now is there’ll be special teams coaches that make the trip to San Antonio and work him out individually to see if he’s the real deal or he’s just a workout warrior.”

That is where things stand. Murphy’s on-field resume is still limited, especially when compared to established prospects. But the pro day changed how teams view him. And if he can back that up in private workouts, he has a real chance to follow a path similar to Aubrey, at a time when the league is clearly looking for the next one.

Jaffer Murphy has the traits to become the next Brandon Aubrey based on his Pro Day

The latest generation of kickers in the NFL has raised the bar when it comes to 60-plus yard field goals. A big part of that shift comes from Brandon Aubrey, who has spent the last three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys after transitioning from soccer and a stint in the UFL with the Birmingham Stallions.

For context, the 31-year-old made NFL history in 2025 by hitting three field goals from beyond 60 yards, becoming the first player to do it in a single season. So when Tony Pauline pointed out that teams are looking for the next Aubrey, he tied that idea directly to Jaffer Murphy and his Pro Day showing at UTSA.

“I mean, he’s not really that big of a guy, but obviously he’s incredibly athletic,” Pauline said of Murphy. “I’m trying to pull up his stats at UTSA, and it’s not working for me right now. But again, that’s what you want on Pro Day if you are not a combine guy. You got to show out for scouts and give them something to think about and give them something to go back and look at the film.”

And that is really where Murphy stands right now. His actual production at UTSA might not jump off the page for scouts. But his Pro Day performance shifted the conversation.

His 4.50-second 40-yard dash would have ranked 26th among wide receivers, 16th among cornerbacks, and eighth among running backs at the 2026 NFL Combine. More importantly, for his position, it would have set a new benchmark. He would have beaten Jake Camarda’s 4.56 from 2022 and Marshall Koehn’s 4.61 from 2016, making it the fastest time recorded by a kicker or punter.

So while there is still no certainty about whether a team will sign him, one thing is clear. Murphy has done enough to get on the radar. Now it comes down to the next step. He has to prove that what he showed in workouts can translate into real game situations. And that he is more than just a Pro Day standout.