Last season, Nico Gramatica made 18 kicks out of 24 attempts.
Photo by Irena Mesa | The Crow’s Nest
By Irena Mesa
Nico Gramatica did not grow up playing football.
The sophomore kicker for the University of South Florida played club soccer and only started kicking footballs in his sophomore year of high school.
“My dad kicked, my uncle kicked and people were asking me, ‘Why don’t you come out, try it for a year and see if you like it. If you don’t like it, you can be done after one year,’” Gramatica said. “I went out, had a great time and got to make some really good friends.”
The father and uncle Gramatica referred to are Martin and Santiago Gramatica, who both kicked for Kansas State and USF, respectively. His father Martin went on to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl in his six-year career with the team and earning the title of “Automatica.”
For Nico, the Gramatica name on the back of his jersey isn’t something that weighs on him.
“I use it kind of as help, because my dad’s been through it and he’s made big kicks. He’s also missed big kicks,” Gramatica said. “So, he knows how to deal with a lot of things and it’s awesome to have him on my side.”
Gramatica went on to explain how grateful he is for his father’s support and wisdom.
“He knows the life of a kicker — it’s either miss or make,” Gramatica said. “So, to have him behind my back always if I miss or make a kick, it’s awesome. He can tell me experience of how he got through things or how he tried to keep himself levelheaded through makes and misses.”
Gramatica credits his family as the main reason for his choice to play football at USF. He grew up in Tampa, loving the city and having much of his family living there as well.
Along with his home and his family, Gramatica said his church community was important to his decision as well.
Josh Callahan, a member of his church, was one of the few people Gramatica called when visiting USF and getting the offer to play.
“I had a feeling USF was where he wanted to go — at the time, there was no reason to, but you could tell he liked it,” Callahan said. “When I asked him why he would choose USF, he told me he wanted to stay close to his home, family and church.”
Callahan also served as Gramatica’s Bible teacher at Cambridge Christian School, where he attended high school. In the classroom, Callahan explained that Nico was quiet at first, but a good, hardworking student. Before the day’s classes began, however, is where Callahan truly got to know Gramatica.
“At 7:15, four days a week, Nico and his friend came to my classroom to pray. I got to know him really well through those mornings because he’d open up about things going on in his life and we’d pray together,” Callahan said.
Photo by Irena Mesa | The Crow’s Nest
As a longtime fan of college football, Callahan told The Crow’s Nest how neat it is to have one of his students play at that level.
“Shortly after the game against Florida, he called me asking to talk,” Callahan said. “If he made or missed that field goal, I’d be proud of him and who he is in the Lord.”
Callahan said it has been a privilege to get to know Nico as a student and as a person, and he is especially proud of his humility.
“He comes from a well-known family, but if you met him, you wouldn’t know that. His humility is off the charts, and I don’t know too many people like that,” Callahan said.
Gramatica loved the environment at Cambridge Christian, especially the school’s smaller size that allowed for stronger connections between students and teachers like Callahan. He believes he’ll have some of those connections for the rest of his life, still attending church that Callahan attends as well.
“Even though it’s a smaller school, the teachers really cared for you, and they wanted to help you do your best,” Gramatica said. “So, being there helped me grow a whole bunch in my academic side and sports as well, a thousand percent.”
Some of those Biblical teachings are what Gramatica keeps in mind when first hitting the field for each game and practice.
“I always think of a Bible verse — Exodus 15:2 — which is, ‘The Lord is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him,’” Gramatica said. “That is going through my head — ‘Let me do everything I can, good or bad, to exalt the Lord.’”
When Gramatica lines up for a kick, he adopts a different mindset: he will make the kick and nothing else. He tries not to overthink it or focus too hard on the past.
“I think every kicker is going to go back and want to make every kick. I do sometimes look back, but right now I’m just looking on to the next time I kick,” Gramatica said. “It’s good to go back and learn from the things that you did wrong the previous year, but then you got to move on, to go onto the next kick.”
Next season, Gramatica and the rest of the Bulls have a lot to look forward to, with the introduction of head coach Brian Hartline. However, Gramatica has another thing to be excited for: the addition of his brother and fellow kicker, Gaston, to the team’s roster.
“I love that he got to stay home with me and our family,” Nico Gramatica said. “He knows how I kick, so he can be like a coach to me on the field. These last few months together at USF have been amazing.”
Nico, Gaston and the rest of the Bulls will kick off the 2026 football season against Florida International University on Sept. 5.
