Oct 12, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls place kicker Nico Gramatica (25) looks on before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Nico Gramatica has kept South Florida football in position for a potential upset bid against in-state rival Florida early on Saturday, Sept. 6.

The Bulls kicker hit on field goals from 38 and 25 yards out to keep USF within striking distance of the Gators in the first half of their Week 2 matchup against the Gators from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. Florida entered the half with a 9-6 lead.

If the last name sounds familiar, it's because he comes from a strong kicking pedigree. His father, Martin, played in the NFL for 10 seasons and was one of the most accurate kickers in history.

Nico’s two uncles, Bill and Santiago, also played at USF. Here's what you need to know about Nico Gramatica's family:

Who is Nico Gramatica's dad?

Nico is the son of Martin "Automatica" Gramatica, who enjoyed a nine-year NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1999-04), Indianapolis Colts (2004, 2006), Dallas Cowboys (2006) and New Orleans Saints (2007-08).

For his career, Martin connected on 155 of 203 career field goals for a career percentage of 76.4%. His longest field goal was at 55 yards out. Martin also connected on 99.1% of his extra point attempts (228 of 230).

Martin, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, played college football at Kansas State before becoming a third-round pick by the Buccaneers in the 1999 NFL Draft. He had two field goals in the 2003 Super Bowl win for Tampa Bay over Oakland.

Martin won Lou Groza Award and earned All-American and All-Big 12 honors with the Wildcats. He is currently the head coach of the Tampa Bay Strikers in the National Indoor Soccer League (NISL).

Nico Gramatica stats

Nico Gramatica handled kickoffs and long field goal attempts for the Bulls in 2024. He kicked off 68 times for 4,087 yards and 29 touchbacks. Nico Gramatica made field goals of 58, 52 and 51 yards and missed from 58 and 53.

Here's a look at his stats with USF:

  • 2024: 3 for 5 (60%) on field goals; 1-for-1 on extra points
  • 2025: 2 for 2 (100%) on field goals; 4-for-4 on extra points

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Nico Gramatica's dad? USF football kicker's father played in NFL

Reporting by Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect