Hoping for the Call

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – There were moments in Indianapolis that felt beyond surreal.

When he looked around and saw personnel from what seemed like every NFL team in the lobby of his hotel or at Lucas Oil Stadium. When he took the field for drills. When he saw his Miami teammates arrive, ready to make their own dreams of playing professionally a reality.

For Andy Borregales, participating in this year’s NFL Combine was a memory he’ll never forget. Now, with the NFL Draft hours away, he’s hoping that time in Indianapolis – combined with a record-breaking college career at Miami – will lead to the job of a lifetime.

“At the end of the day, there’s only 32 of those jobs in the world,” the kicker said. “Only 32 guys really in the whole world that can have this position in that league. You have to be ready to go in and compete.”

Borregales has been competing all his life.

He grew up in South Florida playing both soccer and football before choosing to focus solely on football in middle school.

By high school, he’d become one of the nation’s top kickers. He was rated No. 2 at the position by 247 Sports when he signed with the Hurricanes, and he wasted no time making his presence felt in Coral Gables.

Not long after arriving on campus, Borregales earned Miami’s starting job. His home debut was a memorable one, with the kicker making two clutch fourth-quarter field goals – including a 43-yarder with 2:04 left – that helped give the Hurricanes a win over Appalachian State.

That same season, he connected on a 55-yarder against Michigan State before eventually finishing the year 17-for-21 on field goal attempts and 45-for-45 on extra-point attempts.

He was named an All-ACC honorable mention, an honor he’d receive again a year later after a sophomore season in which he went 17 of 20 on field goal attempts and again, connect on every extra-point attempt, this time going 32-for-32.

The accolades – and big kicks – kept coming during his final two seasons at Miami.

Borregales was a first-team All-ACC selection in both 2023 and 2024. And in his final game as a Hurricane – last December’s loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl – he converted on two field goals and five extra points to bring his career scoring total to 405 points.

That set a new Miami record and capped what proved to be a memorable college career.

“At first, I didn’t know how close I was to it. Once I realized I was – I think – maybe 30 points away, something like that, that’s when I was like, ‘Okay, this might be mine,’” Borregales said. “Then going in for that [last] field goal in the bowl game, I knew it was for the record, but I tried to take it as just any other kick. After the kick, that’s when I let out a little scream and celebrated a little bit.

“I’m not a big records and trophies person, but I mean, that’s a record that’s probably going to be there for a good amount of time. But I know it’s meant to be broken, and I hope it is broken one day. That will mean the program is moving towards the right direction.”

Now, it’s time for Borregales to turn his focus to what he hopes is his next chapter: a career in the NFL.

He understands more than most how difficult it can be to carve one’s path in the league as a kicker.

His brother, former Hurricanes kicker and Lou Groza Award winner Jose Borregales, was undrafted coming out of Miami and though he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spent time on the team’s practice squad, a roster spot eluded him.

Watching that play out for his brother was difficult, but Borregales said Jose has been a constant source of inspiration, a mentor who’s guided him through every stage of the game and he is beyond grateful for the support he’s received from his big brother, especially through the pre-draft process.

“I mean, it’s been amazing. Having, in my opinion, an NFL-ready kicker as a brother, as a sibling, as a best friend means the world to me,” Borregales said. “Any advice that I need, I just go to him, and he tells me what to do and what not to do. From his experience and knowing what he went through, the things he did right and maybe the things he didn’t do so right, he wants me to be better than him and all of this is really because of him. … Sometimes, I get emotional just thinking about it because I don’t think I could ask for a better mentor or a better brother.”

Borregales isn’t quite sure what his future holds or how the next few days will go.

But he’s hopeful the kicks he made while a Hurricane, his performance at the Combine, his showing at Miami’s Pro Day – where he connected on a 65-yard field goal attempt – and his efforts in a series of private workouts with NFL teams will entice one club to pick up the phone and call his name over the course of the next three days.

And he knows when his chance comes, he’ll be ready to make an impression.

“It’s been a lot of training, a lot of interviews, staying in shape and staying ready,” Borregales said of the months leading up to this week’s draft. “I’m just trying to be level-headed, and know that at the end of the day, whether I’m drafted or undrafted, it’s still going to be the same journey to get on that 53-man roster. And that’s the goal right now, to make a roster and then after that, stay there.”