Finding placekickers

Submitted by crg on
This was briefly mentioned in a comment somewhere, but I would like to open this up for greater discussion. Why is it so difficult to find kickers that can hit moderate field goals? I am NOT suggesting that any kid can just walk on and hit 35 yarders reliably, but it seems as though any respectable college team can open up the competition to their soccer players (men and women) as well as others with reasonable leg strength (cyclists, wrestlers, martial arts, etc.). One would think that would lead to a few reasonable back up options to supplement (not replace) scholarship kickers. They would not even need to make a significant time commitment compared to other positions. Maybe I'm way off here, as I do not have much familiarity with kicker development, but it seems plausible. Additional insight is appreciated.

Also, this is not a call to bench Allen or Trice. They obviously earned their time in practice and probably just had some bad luck.
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crg

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:01 PM ^

Why? Consider the skills (physical and mental) required to be an average (not great) place kicker. Is it that unreasonable to think 1) other athletes in other sports would have those skills and 2) have interest in playing on a team that could get them a moment in regional/national spotlight?

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UMForLife

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:10 PM ^

You seem like you have not played soccer. You can be an excellent cyclist, but no guarantee that you are going to be able to kick the ball with precision and enough strength. I have played soccer and I can tell you that kicking that damn ball is not as easy as it looks. Now we are talking about kicking in a split second with the right sequence kicking it high enough angling it correctly and with 250 pound men running at you is not easy. Sorry. Your logic sounds great in theory. Not that easy.

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crg

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^

Never said that every (or most) soccer player (or other leg-dominant sport) would be a good kicker. But, that population may be good play to begin searching for non-conventional place kickers since there is already a degree of physical conditioning, leg strength, and competitive spirit. And it does happen - many HS kickers play other sports, including soccer. They might not be P5 FBS scholarship level, but not terrible either.

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UMForLife

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:26 PM ^

May be I am misunderstanding your question. All I am saying is that it is very hard to change a soccer player or any other person involved in heavy leg activity to be a placekicker in the middle of the season. It is a different motion, timing and rhythm. Not to mention the pressure. I can kick a soccer ball pretty good. Just the shape of the football is odd let alone kicking it with enough strength at the precise point in a game is going to take a lot of practice. Just don't see it happening in season. But I would love to be wrong as it will be a great story.

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crg

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:53 PM ^

I do not mean an immediate, mid-season replacement per se, but just a general consideration of "where to look for placekickers outside of conventional football recruiting strictures." I agree that most people just thrown into that situation will not do well at first (even if they are excellent all around athletes), but those with the aforementioned skills would be able to adapt faster and have a greater chance of success.

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crg

October 2nd, 2016 at 11:10 PM ^

My original post was only about finding people who could hit moderate distance field goals (maybe 30-35 yards and under). This would be a search in the offseason or at the outset of play in theory - after the traditional recruiting season has ended. I have tried to keep the discussion in that vein.

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PopeLando

October 2nd, 2016 at 11:48 PM ^

About a decade ago, MSU was in such dire straits that they held open tryouts among the student body for a placekicker. A soccer player won the job, and kept it for the next several years. I don't remember anything special about him. I think he was pretty average.

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YouRFree

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^

Allen is probably going to be fine. He's very reliable last year. Harbaugh and co. will take care of the business. He probably just need some confident back.

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tdcarl

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:15 PM ^

Kicking is such a mental game. It takes a whole lot more than leg strength. Even if you've got the accuracy you've gotta do it in front of 100,000 with 300lb dudes running after you. And the ball isn't set to kick until milliseconds before you're striking it. It's a tough proposition. As a cyclist and student at the time of Rich Rods field goal fiasco I entertained the idea of trying to go to walk on tryouts. I had the leg to hit it from 40+, but i cracked under pressure even after practicing for a while out on Palmer Field.

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1blueeye

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:23 PM ^

Why is it difficult for a kicker to kick all 3 phases? Any idea what the physically taxing issue is? Let's say there's 4 or 5 kick offs, a couple punts, a few extra points and a couple field goals. 10-12 kicks in a 3-4 hour period doesn't seem physically extreme. What part am I missing.



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S5R48S10

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:48 PM ^

Game situation kicking may not be taxing, but getting enough practice reps to be good at each phase will wear on you. Just as a punter, you need to rep enough to 1) catch a long snap every time, 2) get a big kick in 3 steps or less every time, and 3) place a punt both vertically and horizontally to optimize your coverage. Messing up any of these is a disaster, just ask 1) Will Hagerup, 2) UCF's punter, or 3) any poor damn bastard kicking to Jabrill Peppers. Then add equal preparation for FG kicking and kickoffs. I'll bet that Allen feels like his leg is gonna fall off after weeks of practice.

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Leonhall

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:24 PM ^

Answer, it's not easy. You have to practice to get better at something. I don't want some guy who is a safety away from getting better at safety, to work on placekicking. I bet Allen gets out of it.



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Leonhall

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:26 PM ^

I do wonder what's going on with Allen. Harbaugh didn't use him against PSU, instead chose to go for it a couple times. I think he also missed 1 or 2 vs Colorado.



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deejaydan

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:52 PM ^

But it seems alot like golf.  I've heard that for every guy out on the PGA tour, there are 20 guys with the physical skills to golf that well, but don't have the mental toughness to putt/chip/drive in front of crowds when the pressure is on.  A good friend of mine is a good golfer, but he chokes every time we put a single dollar on closest to the green on a par 3.  It's much more mental than physical.

 

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barneythesailor

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:59 PM ^

My son was a college kicker and had been to lots of camps and worked with a couple of past M kickers and also NFL kicking coaches. He never was a soccer player. The follow through of a person who played soccer as they kick the ball and then their follow through is typically a crossover with their kicking leg which also twists their body . Also often soccer players don't follow through but punch at the ball. This crossover often causes lots of inconsistency with field goal kicking because the kickers body and leg don't go in a straight line toward the uprights. A kid who just learns to kick a football typically is taught to kick with their follow through of their kicking leg to be straight toward the uprights. Their body doesn't typically twist and usually they actually skip at the end of the kick in a straight line toward uprights. It is also hard sometimes to really tell how accurate a HS kicker is because they use a "block" to kick field goals so ball is up off the ground then have to kick off the ground in college. Difficult transition for many HS kickers.

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