Miami RedHawks: Dzioban thriving in big moments with his foot

“I didn’t get any field goals the week before,” Dzioban said with a grin. “So me and (Miami athletic director) David Sayler were kind of laughing like, ‘Hey, we got our reps this week.’

“I just felt locked in. I actually had a terrible warmup — I think I went 1-for-15 — so it was good to get in the game and feel that adrenaline and see the ball come off my foot the way it should.”

By the time the RedHawks found themselves facing that 51-yard kick in the final minutes, Dzioban was already 3-for-3 on the day and Miami held a 23-17 lead.

RedHawks coach Chuck Martin admitted he briefly considered punting — until he tested his kicker’s confidence.

“I walked down and told him, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about pooching it,’” Martin recalled. “He looked at me like I had two heads and said, ‘Let’s go win the game, coach.’

“That was it. He’s only great if you let him be great.”

Dzioban laughed retelling the exchange.

“I don’t think I can repeat exactly what I said,” Dzioban joked. “But I basically told him, ‘The heck we are (pooching it).’ I was already running on the field before he even told me to. I knew when he smiled, he trusted me — and that meant everything.

“I felt like there was nothing that could happen that would make me miss that kick. I was going to win this game.”

Dzioban drilled the kick, and he confidently celebrated even before the ball sailed through the uprights. He matched his career long.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Dzioban said.

It’s moments like that, the redshirt senior said, as to why he’s still at Miami — even after seeing close friend and former RedHawks kicker Graham Nicholson transfer to Alabama two seasons ago.

“I’ve stayed here because of the relationship I have with Coach Martin,” said Dzioban, who battled through a leg injury that forced him to miss the 2023 campaign.

“The trust he has in me, and the trust he builds with his players, it’s special.”

Martin calls Miami special — “special teams paradise.”

It’s a fitting description for a kicker who’s been one of the most productive in the MAC.

And Dzioban embraces the responsibility that comes with that reputation.

“Coach Martin’s old school — he likes the points,” Dzioban said. “He trusts me a lot to go get them. So I’m constantly being put into a position where I get to help my team. It doesn’t get better than that.”

Dzioban, a 6-foot-1, 204-pounder from Frankfort, Illinois, continues to rank among the MAC’s most reliable specialists.

Last season, he hit 26 of 30 field goals and made 33 of 34 extra points. He finished 2024 with 111 total points, among the conference’s top scorers.

“He’s only a weapon if you use him,” Martin said. “We let him be great — and he was.”

Before his Miami career, Dzioban made his mark at Lincoln-Way East High School under coach Rob Zvonar, where he helped build a powerhouse program in Illinois. In his high school career:

Those roots, Dzioban said, taught him to handle big moments long before he reached Yager Stadium.

Dzioban said last week’s game-sealing kick was less about personal glory and more about the collective effort that put him in position.

“When you look around and everyone’s screaming, hitting you on the helmet, it’s the greatest feeling,” Dzioban said. “Those guys grind all game long. I only get a few chances, but to give them that sense of relief — that, ‘Hey, we’ve got this’ moment — that’s what makes it all worth it.”

When he’s not drilling field goals, Dzioban is often on the golf course. Every Monday during the season, he hits the links with Nicholson.

“Now that we’re heading into MACtion, it’ll probably be Thursdays,” Dzioban said of his golfing schedule. “We’ll see what the weather allows — my hands are frozen right now — but it was a good day.”

From tee boxes to game-winning kicks, Dzioban’s swing stays true — and precise, and confident, and steady.

And for Miami (5-3) — which is on a five-game winning streak and sits atop the MAC — that consistency is gold.

“He’s a great player,” Martin said. “And when the game’s on the line, we trust him to go win it.”

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