Guider's project originated when his mentor, Assistant Professor of Statistics Andre Waschka, approached him with an opportunity tied to NFL kicker Joshua Karty, a kicker for the Arizona Cardinal
Chris Guider ’29, an 鶹Ƶ economics and business analytics double major, was recently featured in a examining how data analysis can challenge assumptions about decision-making in the National Football League.
The story highlights Dzthe effectiveness of new NFL kickoff rules introduced in 2024. The changes, designed to improve player safety, created multiple “touchback” scenarios, situations where the ball is placed at different yard lines depending on how a kickoff ends.
“A big misconception is that moving touchbacks farther up automatically leads to higher scoring,” Guider told the Times News. “What surprised people is that starting field position didn’t have a statistically significant impact on whether a team scored or how long a drive lasted.”
Guider presented his research during the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum on April 28.