Alejandro Mata, the Colorado Buffaloes field goal kicker best known for not missing, took some time out of his offseason to announce on Instagram that he has become a United States citizen.
Mata has traveled a long road to Boulder, stopping in Honduras, Brazil, Mexico and Georgia before playing for head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State. Following the 2022 college football season, he followed Coach Prime to Colorado and handled field goal duties for the Buffs last fall. Mata converted 10-of-12 field goal attempts and 26-of-27 extra points in 2023.
The Buffaloes kicker was featured heavily in the Amazon Prime documentary, “Coach Prime,” where he detailed his story of coming from Latin America and switching from soccer to American football.
His Latin roots are important to him, and he made that known during his citizenship announcement on Thursday:
“Today marks a significant milestone for me as I officially attained US citizenship, making it an exceptionally memorable day,” Mata wrote on Instagram. “I remain deeply connected to and proud of my Latin-American roots, and I’m committed to representing it with pride. I’m profoundly grateful to the United States for welcoming me and opening new doors in this exciting chapter of my life. Viva México, Vamos Panamá, and God bless America!”
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