Younghoe Koo of Ridgewood now owns best FG percentage in NFL history
Move over Justin Tucker, there's a new kicker king in town.
With Tucker's rare 44-yard miss on Sunday night, Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo surpassed the Baltimore Ravens star with a 39-yard field goal that makes the former North Jersey standout the new owner of the best field goal percentage in NFL history at 90 percent (minimum 100 attempts).
Younghoe Koo currently has the best field goal percentage in NFL history, after Justin Tuckers missed FG attempt on SNF. (minimum 100 attempts) pic.twitter.com/pBX1RrVL4V
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) November 27, 2023
Koo, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, moved to Ridgewood as a child and played soccer as a youngster. He eventually became a placekicker and was a star on Ridgewood High School's football team, earning team MVP honors during his senior season.
After posting a career-low 86.5 percent field goal percentage (32-of-37 attempts) a season ago, it's been a bounceback campaign for Koo in 2023. He has made all but one field goal attempt through 11 games this season (22-of-23 attempts).
The 29-year-old Koo will be back in New Jersey this Sunday when the Falcons visit the Jets at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium.
In his last game at MetLife, Koo drilled a 40-yard game-winning field goal as time expired, giving the Falcons a 17-14 victory over the Giants on Sept. 26, 2021.
Following his time in North Jersey, Koo continued his football dream at Georgia Southern University where he was the placekicker for all four years of his tenure. He currently holds the school record for highest field goal percentage (88.6 percent).
Despite going undrafted in 2017, Koo was still determined to make it in the NFL. After bouncing around from the Chargers, Patriots and even the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) from 2017-19, he finally earned a spot with the Falcons midway through the 2019 season and has been their placekicker ever since.
In 2020, Koo was selected to his first ever Pro Bowl after going 37-for-39 on field goal attempts, including making all eight kicks from 50 or more yards out.
He is currently the sixth-highest paid kicker in the NFL after the team gave him a 5-year, $24.25 million contract extension in March 2022.
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Younghoe Koo of Ridgewood NJ and Atlanta Falcons has best FG percentage in NFL history
