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Ivan Maric’s winding college football journey finally carried him onto the sport’s biggest Division III stage.

The McLean High School graduate served as the University of Mount Union’s starting kicker during the 2024 season, helping the Purple Raiders finish 14-1 and reach the NCAA Division III national championship game.

Maric made a 30-yard field goal and two extra points in the title game, a 41-25 loss to North Central College.

“I had a pretty decent season and look forward to being back there next season,” Maric said. “It took me a while to get to this point.”

The sophomore connected on 11 of 16 field-goal attempts during the season. His kicks included successful attempts from 40, 41 and 43 yards, along with a 51-yarder that set a team record.

He also converted 72 of 74 extra points, ending the season with 64 consecutive makes, and handled kickoffs for Mount Union.

Four colleges and one elusive opportunity

Mount Union is Maric’s fourth college since graduating from McLean.

He first enrolled at Division I Indiana University and hoped to earn a walk-on position, but he did not make the team. He then moved to Division I Eastern Michigan University, where an injury kept him sidelined for 10 months and ended his opportunity there.

His next stop was Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio. Maric kicked in one game before the school shut down.

After entering the transfer portal, he heard from Mount Union’s coaches. Maric embraced the new opportunity and defeated five competing kickers to claim the starting job for 2024.

“At first I wanted to kick at a big school, but now I just wanted the chance to kick somewhere,” he said.

Maric has two seasons of college eligibility remaining and hopes to pursue professional football afterward.

“With kickers, you never know,” he said. “There aren’t many positions professionally, and there are a lot of good kickers out there for just a few spots. But there are opportunities.”

A vacant job at McLean started it all

Maric began kicking after discovering that McLean’s freshman football team needed someone for the position.

A former youth soccer player, he volunteered and taught himself the fundamentals by watching training videos on YouTube. He kicked for the junior varsity team as a sophomore before taking over varsity duties during his junior and senior seasons.

As a senior, Maric made six of seven field goals and 15 of 16 extra points. He hit a 50-yard field goal and earned all-district and all-region recognition.

“I fell in love with kicking right away and really took it super-serious after my sophomore season,” said Maric, whose older brother, Stefan, had also kicked for McLean.

Former McLean head coach John Scholla recalled struggling to attract college interest in Maric despite his high-school performance.

“Ivan was a really good kid and very reliable for us,” Scholla said. “I’m glad it has worked out for him. He was determined.”