Gardner-Webb kicker Jay Billingsley broke one school record and continued to build upon another during the 2024 college football season. The redshirt junior from Anderson, S.C., also is one of our NC Football News FCS Stat Champions in multiple special teams’ categories.
Billingsley led North Carolina’s FCS ranks in kicker points, scoring 68 total for the season. He hit 11 field goals and made all 35 of his extra-point attempts.
Billingsley’s 54-yard field goal in Week 11 against Eastern Illinois proved the longest among FCS kickers – and tied Charlotte’s Stephen Rusnak for the longest three-pointer across all divisions.
Billingsley has been the main kicker for the Runnin’ Bulldogs since 2022. His 54-yard FG set a new Gardner-Webb school record. His perfection on PATs through the season built upon a GWU record of most consecutive extra points without a miss, now at 108.
Western Carolina’s Christian Lowery and Campbell’s Connor Lytton finished tied for second in kicker points with 65. Both made 12 field goals, hit 29 extra points and finished with a season-long field goal covering 47 yards.
North Carolina Central’s Juan Velarde is our FCS Stat Champion in most extra points with 43. He finished second for longest field goal, nailing a 53-yarder in the season finale against Delaware State.
WCU’s Lowery scored the most kicker points – 16 – in a single FCS game this past season. The Acworth, Ga., product, who transferred to Cullowhee from Cincinnati, went 3-for-3 on field goals and made all six PATs in week 12 against VMI.
Davidson’s Danny Reyes made the most of his only opportunity to kick extra points this season. The senior from Clarksville, Md., went 10-10 in PATs in the Wildcats’ wild 70-48 triumph over Stetson. Teammate Adam Zouagui, NCCU’s Velarde and Western Carolina’s Paxton Robertson each had games where they made seven PATs.
2024 FCS Stat Champions | Kickers
Kicker Points | Season Leaders
| POINTS | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | FG | PAT | LONG FG |
| 68 | Jay Billingsley (Gardner-Webb) | 11 | 35 | 54 |
| 65 | Christian Lowery (Western Carolina) | 12 | 29 | 47 |
| 65 | Connor Lytton (Campbell) | 12 | 29 | 47 |
| 58 | Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central) | 5 | 43 | 53 |
| 54 | Adam Zouagui (Davidson)_ | 4 | 42 | 48 |
| 51 | Andrew Brown (North Carolina A&T) | 12 | 15 | 52 |
| 39 | Luke Barnes (Elon) | 6 | 21 | 41 |
| 36 | Jack Berkowitz (Elon) | 7 | 15 | 46 |
| 33 | Paxton Robertson (Western Carolina) | 6 | 15 | 44 |
Most PATs | Season Leaders
| PAT | PLAYER (SCHOOL) |
| 43 | Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central) |
| 42 | Adam Zouagui (Davidson)_ |
| 35 | Jay Billingsley (Gardner-Webb) |
| 29 | Christian Lowery (Western Carolina) |
| 29 | Connor Lytton (Campbell) |
| 21 | Luke Barnes (Elon) |
| 15 | Andrew Brown (North Carolina A&T) |
| 15 | Jack Berkowitz (Elon) |
| 15 | Paxton Robertson (Western Carolina) |
Most Kicker Points | Single Game
| PTS | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | FGM | LONG | PAT | DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT |
| 15 | Christian Lowery (Western Carolina) | 3 | 45 | 6 | Week 12 | VMI | W, 58-28 |
| 12 | Connor Lytton (Campbell) | 3 | 24 | 3 | Week 5 | Delaware State | W, 44-41 |
| 12 | Luke Barnes (Elon) | 2 | 32 | 6 | Week 10 | Campbell | W, 50-27 |
| 11 | Christian Lowery (Western Carolina) | 2 | 37 | 5 | Week 13 | at Samford | W, 47-42 |
| 11 | Connor Lytton (Campbell) | 3 | 47 | 2 | Week 13 | Towson | L, 23-45 |
| 11 | Jack Berkowitz (Elon) | 2 | 46 | 5 | Week 2 | at North Carolina Central | W, 41-19 |
| 10 | Christian Lowery (Western Carolina) | 3 | 47 | 1 | Week 2 | Campbell | L, 16-24 |
| 10 | Danny Reyes (Davidson) | 0 | — | 10 | Week 8 | Stetson | W, 70-48 |
| 10 | Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central) | 1 | 53 | 7 | Week 13 | at Delaware State | W, 52-10 |
| 10 | Luke Barnes (Elon) | 2 | 41 | 4 | Week 11 | at William & Mary | W, 40-36 |
| 10 | Paxton Robertson (Western Carolina) | 2 | 44 | 4 | Week 9 | at Mercer | L, 34-44 |
| 10 | Paxton Robertson (Western Carolina) | 1 | 26 | 7 | Week 8 | at Furman | W, 52-20 |
Most PATs | Single Game
| MADE | ATT | PLAYER (SCHOOL) |
| 10 | 10 | Danny Reyes (Davidson) |
| 8 | 9 | Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central) |
| 7 | 7 | Adam Zouagui (Davidson) |
| 7 | 7 | Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central) |
| 7 | 7 | Paxton Robertson (Western Carolina) |
| 6 | 6 | Adam Zouagui (Davidson) |
| 6 | 6 | Adam Zouagui (Davidson) |
| 6 | 6 | Christian Lowery (Western Carolina) |
| 6 | 6 | Jay Billingsley (Gardner-Webb) |
| 6 | 6 | Jay Billingsley (Gardner-Webb) |
| 6 | 6 | Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central) |
| 6 | 6 | Luke Barnes (Elon) |
Longest Field Goals (50+ Yards)
| Jay Billingsley (Gardner-Webb) | FCS | 54 | Week 11 | Eastern Illinois |
| Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central) | FCS | 53 | Week 13 | at Delaware State |
| Andrew Brown (North Carolina A&T) | FCS | 52 | Week 2 | Winston-Salem State |
| Andrew Brown (North Carolina A&T) | FCS | 51 | Week 1 | Wake Forest |
More NC College Football | Stat Champions Content
RUSHING KINGS OF 2024: Every 100-Yard Game In The 2024 Season
HE COULD GO ALL THE WAY! The 25 Longest College Football Scoring Plays Of 2024
FCS PASSING: Gardner-Webb’s Tyler Riddell, WCU’s Cole Gonzales Posted Big Numbers
FCS PUNTING: Elon’s Jeff Yurk Leads State, Nation In Punting Average
FCS DEFENSE: Campbell’s Jalen Brooks Piled Up 118 Tackles
