5 things to know about new Giants kicker Ryan Santoso
Ryan Santoso warms up before a game between the Tennessee Titans and the Oakland Raiders at RingCentral Coliseum on December 08, 2019 in Oakland, California. Credit: Getty Images/Lachlan Cunningham
Here are five things to know about Ryan Santoso, the kicker/punter who has been on the Giants’ practice squad all season just in case one of the specialists tested positive for COVID-19… as Graham Gano did on Monday. Santoso was elevated to the active roster on Tuesday to prevent other teams from poaching him.
1. He’s a really big guy. And not just "for a kicker." The Giants list him at 6-5 and 258 pounds. Consider that the team signed a tight end to the practice squad to take his place on that part of the roster. That player, Nate Wieting, is listed at 6-4 and 245.
2. Santoso played in three December games last season for the Tennessee Titans, who signed him on Nov. 27. He attempted no field goals but had touchbacks on nine of 16 kickoffs (56.3%). He was in the Detroit Lions’ training camp in both 2018 and 2019. He has also kicked for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.
3. Indonesian media heralded Santoso as "the first player of Indonesian descent to perform in the NFL" after his debut with the Titans. He is an American citizen who grew up in Florida. His father, Riyanto Santoso, is from Indonesia, according to those reports.
4. At the University of Minnesota from 2015-17 (and as a teammate of Giants rookie linebacker Carter Coughlin) he made 29 of 39 field goal attempts (74.3%), including a career-long 52-yarder vs. Purdue on Oct. 18, 2014. The kick, with 4:59 remaining in the game, lifted the Golden Gophers to a 39-38 victory. Santoso also converted all but one of his 77 point-after attempts. He scored 163 points (29 field goals and 76 PATs). Santoso kicked off 168 times and recorded 80 touchbacks.
5. He was also the full-time punter at Minnesota, with 144 attempts. He averaged 41.8 yards (fourth-best in school history) and placed 46 punts inside the 20. He had a career long 68-yard punt vs. Michigan State in 2017.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
