University of Hawai’i placekicker Kansei Matsuzawa has been named to the 2025 Academic All-America First Team by the College Sports Communicators. This recognition makes Matsuzawa only the ninth Rainbow Warrior to receive academic All-America honors and the first since Kealoha Pilares in 2010.
Matsuzawa is also just the fourth player from the University of Hawai’i to be selected for the first team, joining Pilares, Chris Shinnick (1997), and Travis Sims (1992).
Earlier in January, Matsuzawa was among five Rainbow Warriors who earned academic all-district honors. It marks his second consecutive year receiving this distinction. To qualify for these awards, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale. Matsuzawa, originally from Tokyo, Japan, graduated in December with a GPA of 3.68 in interdisciplinary studies.
The academic accolade follows what has been described as one of the most accomplished seasons in program history for Matsuzawa. He set new school records for single-season field goals made (27) and consecutive field goals made (26). Additionally, he tied an FBS record by converting his first 25 field goal attempts of the season. By season’s end, Matsuzawa became UH’s first-ever consensus All-American, received Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year honors, and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award recognizing the nation’s top placekicker.
