Nick Folk, NFL Kicker

Thomas Fletcher was the Long Snapper at the University of Alabama.  A two-time national champion, Fletcher was selected as the 2020 Patrick Mannelly Award Winner which is presented annually to the nation's top long snapper.

Fletcher was recruited by Head Coach Nick Saban, and former special teams coordinator, Jeff Banks who has begun a career at the University of Texas as of January 2021.

On his special teams unit he played with Green Bay Packers punter J.K. Scott, and Simple Kicking's own, Will Reichard.  He follows a lineage of excellent long snappers in Tuscaloosa like Carson Tinker (New York Giants) and Cole Mazza (Los Angeles Chargers).

Fletcher played in 3 college football playoff national championship games, winning the 2021 CFP National Championship over the Ohio State University and the 2017 CFP National Championship over the University of Georgia.

In this episode, Fletcher shares how his hard work throughout his career allowed him to become the best he could.  Treating each moment as if it were a game he follows a specific process.

He shares his recruiting journey on how he earned a college scholarship as a long snapper to the University of Alabama, and tips he would give young long snappers who are attending kicking camps, showcases, and combines.

Thomas Fletcher, Long Snapper, Alabama

Cairo Santos is an NFL Kicker who had a breakout season for the Chicago Bears in 2020.  A 8 year NFL veteran, Santos was signed as an undrafted free agent for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014 Tulane University.

Santos’ NFL career has made stops in the National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC) with 4 franchises: the Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Tennessee Titans.  Statistically 2020 was his best season, as he converted 93.8% of his kicks with 3.4º precision according to the Simple Kicking App.  Santos credits punter Pat O’Donnell (The University of Miami) who held for him.

Cairo Santos is the first born Brazilian to play in the NFL.

Santos was a soccer player growing up and his heroes were Neymar, Ronaldinho, and Ronaldo.

Folk did not have childhood aspirations to play in the NFL, and this episode covers topics of how hard it is to stay in the NFL and how he sustained a long career despite multiple injuries, and roster cuts.  This story is a lot like Nick Folk’s. was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice in 2020 for his game winning field goals vs. the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals.

Santos was named the NFC special teams player in Week 6 victory at Carolina Panthers.  Santos was named the NFC’s special teams player of the month for December 2020 making all 12 field-goal attempts from Weeks 13 through 17 through the Pro-Posts except for one.

He is the best kicker in Chicago since Robbie Gould.

Cairo Santos, NFL Kicker

The Texas Longhorns added their 3rd Aussie punter in the past decade or so: Michael Dickson, punter for the Seattle Seahawks, current punter Ryan Bujcevski, and the newest arrival is Isaac Pearson from Australia.  He learned how to kick from ProKick Australia.

Texas has some of the best specialists in the Country.  Justin Tucker, Austin Westlake High School, Baltimore Ravens, Cameron Dicker, Lake Travis, just to name a few.

Hailing from New South Wales, Pearson joined the Simple Kicking Show for an in-person clinic.

Here we talk about technique, mindset, and the art of punting, it was a ton of fun.

Overview of the session: Overview of the first set, Punting in Windy Conditions, mindset of punting. What has it been like traveling from Australia to compete in American college football. Expectations for the session 50 yards, 5.0 seconds hang time punt

Nick Folk, New England Patriots Kicker, on making solid contact.  Practicing real game scenarios, deliberate practice. Focus on the process not on the results. Reviewing Data on the Simple Kicking App. Two things I am thinking about: be relaxed and make smooth contact on the ball. Punting in Windy Conditions, Austin McNamara Texas Tech Punte. How to get out of a punting slump. Adjusting the mindset. Let the ball do the talking.

Nick Folk, University of Arizona, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New England Patriots Kicker
check out that podcast here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDeZb...

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts: 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking​
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com​

Please follow Isaac Pearson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaac_pearson/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_Pearson23/

Isaac Pearson, University of Texas Punter

0:00 - Welcome to Simple Kicking and James Hairston (LSU and Rice) story
1:00 - The Chris Sailer Kicking Camp: the difference between a Top 12 kicker and an Underclassmen
4:00 - How do you improve your ranking and kick the ball farther?
8:00 - The difference is like understanding a car engineer
10:30 - 150% difference based on points above expected
12:30 - Training on the Pro-Posts which narrow the field goal posts to 9 feet wide
15:00 - Two Outstanding kickers who had fun playing the game
18:30 - The Nick Folk story and how many wins he was worth in the 2020 NFL season
20:00 - How college coaches recruit
21:20 - Follow Simple Kicking

Points above expected is a metric that determines which kickers are better than others.  Check out that video below: https://youtu.be/92F3KCtOfHw

Nick Folk, University of Arizona, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New England Patriots Kicker
check out that podcast here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDeZbQdtoJk&t=1331s

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts: 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking​
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com​

Chris Sailer and Chris Rubio check out that podcast here:
https://youtu.be/3H3S7HSqcug

Please check Chris Sailer out below :
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chris_sailer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissailerkicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris_sailer
Web: https://www.ChrisSailerKicking.com

Please check Chris Rubio out below :
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/TheChrisRubio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubiolongsnapping
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubio.longsnapping
Web: https://www.RubioLongSnapping.com

Chicago Bears Kicker Cairo Santos splits the Pro-Posts, you can find that episode here: https://youtu.be/tfAW16UxLq0

Nick Folk, University of Arizona, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New England Patriots Kicker
check out that podcast here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDeZbQdtoJk&t=1331s

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts: 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking​
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com​

The Simple Kicking App was created to give kickers a tool so that now only did they have knowledge of their own performance, but also so they could learn, adjust, and reach their goals.

Reaching goals means enjoying the process.  Check out 2 press conferences held after the CSK camps.  Kalen Jones (CA) 2022, and Caden Perry (TX) 2023.

Caden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRKseAyFLaI&t=2s&pp=sAQA

Kalen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYiCJVLmgPg&pp=sAQA

A shift is occurring in the college recruiting world where there is an emphasis on data and video.  The Simple Kicking App provides both in the largest kicking database on the planet.

Currently there are over 60,000 kicks logged from just under 3,000 kickers.

In the past a kid leaves a session with thoughts and tired legs, and now young kickers will have their results posted for all scouts to see on a live leaderboard.

Young kickers face a sweet spot of time to develop.  Are you taking full advantage of the time you have?  The difference between making kicks and missing them short is hard work.

But what separates the men from the boys?

Working Smart.

Live Show! It takes time to get a college scholarship

Mitch Jeter, South Carolina
Noah Rauschenberg, Baylor
Evan Staley, West Virginia
Jonah Lipel, Harvard

How to get a college scholarship starts with the appropriate mindset.

Kickers Roundtable: Mitch Jeter, Noah Rauschenberg, Evan Staley, Jonah Lipel

Will Reichard, University of Alabama
Jack Podlesny, University of Georgia
Cameron Little, University of Arkansas

Learning how to get a college scholarship starts with the wisdom.

Kickers Roundtable: Will Reichard, (Alabama) Jack Podlesny, (Georgia) Cameron Little (Arkansas)

Graham Gano is an NFL Kicker who had a breakout season for the New York Giants in 2020.  A 13-year NFL veteran, Gano was signed as an undrafted free agent for the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 from Florida State after winning the 2008 Lou Groza Award. He competed against Steve Hauschka to replace Matt Stover, competing under Randy Brown.

Gano’s NFL career has made stops in the National Football League, the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants.  Statistically 2020 and 2021 were some of his best seasons, as he converted his kicks within 3 feet of the center according to the Simple Kicking App.  Santos credits punter Riley Dixon (Syracuse, Los Angeles Rams) who held for him.

Please follow Graham Gano
https://www.instagram.com/grahamgano9/
https://twitter.com/GrahamGano

Graham Gano, Kicker, New York Giants

Eric Raisbeck
Special Teams Analyst, Penn State
History: Utah State, Wisconsin-Platteville, South Dakota School of Mines
Notable Specialists: Dom Eberle, K (Green Bay Packers), Jordan Stout (Baltimore Ravens), P
https://www.twitter.com/coachraisbeck

Ryan Saparto
Special Teams Analyst, Oregon St
History: Montana State, Washington, Washington St.
Notable Specialists: Luke Loecher, Everett Hayes, Jared Padmos, Keegan Firth, Daniel Rodriguez
https://twitter.com/CoachSaparto

Ryan Dougherty
Special Teams Analyst, University of Southern California
History: Oklahoma, Lehigh, Eastern Carolina
Notable Specialists: Austin Seibert, K, Gabe Brkic, K, 
https://twitter.com/CoachRDougherty

Special Teams Roundtable: Ryan Dougherty USC, Ryan Saparto, Oregon State, Eric Raisbeck, Penn State

Todd Goebbel
Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator, North Carolina State
History: 	Ohio State, Marshall
Notable Specialists: Mike Nugent, K (New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys) Trenton Gill, P (Chicago Bears), AJ Cole, P (Las Vegas Raiders), Christopher Dunn, K (Lou Groza Award Winner)

Pete Lembo
Special Teams Coordinator, South Carolina
History: Ball State, Maryland, Rice, Memphis, Lehigh, Elon, Ball State
Notable Specialists: Jack Fox, P (Detroit Lions) Riley Patterson, K (Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions)

Special Teams Roundtable: Todd Goebbel, NC State, and Pete Lembo, South Carolina

Doug Deakin is the Special Teams Coordinator at San Diego State University and Blake Dunham is the Special Teams Coordinator at Austin Westlake High School.

Special Teams Roundtable: Doug Deakin, San Diego State, Blake Dunham, Austin Westlake

Coaches typically develop feelings based on viewing Hudl film and Twitter highlights.

Sign up for Pro Days here: https://www.geoji.com/g/Simple-Kicking-Qualifier-3844

The main problem Coaches face is the sheer volume of kickers to evaluate.


Twitter highlights are never ending.


Coaches evaluate the ball flight, ball height, and how a prospect performs in a variety of scenarios.


Similarly, Simple Kicking processes the video but takes it one step further. Simple Kicking pools together kicks from top recruits and breaks it down into one ranking score.


The ranking score organizes the prospect's full kicking resume to prime coaches ahead of the in-person evaluation.


The report is like a pre-screening that accurately narrows down the pool of prospects for a scholarship.


We have a database with X kickers with X kicks. We find 30 coaches who are interested. Are you interested in exploring.


Coach we have tracked the top 30 high school kickers. We have consolidated all of their highlights into one place. In addition, we have a select amount kickers we have monitored for data integrity, X kicks are now processed by our proprietary system and they are ranked . Coaches are able to see the kids that can see the green check.


Differentiate highlights vs. validated kicks.


Kicker: we haves consolidated if you want to be featured as one of the top 30 then sign up. College coaches are looking at the data right now. We consolidate your key kicking stats which is: point production, pin-point accuracy.

Using Data to Disrupt Recruiting a Kicker

The main problem Players face is that Camps do not share data, leaving rankings fragmented across multiple Camps.

Sign up for Pro Day Qualifiers Here: https://www.geoji.com/g/Simple-Kicking-Qualifier-3844

Furthermore, one Camp may rank a prospect high; whereas, another Camp ranks the same prospect low, or not at all.


Camps require kickers to attend multiple events to continually prove themselves. More camps, high rankings.


Add up the camp fees and travel costs, it can be a lot.


Finally, Kickers are required for an in-person kicking camp at the schools with open scholarships.


Without the Resume, a player relies on showcasing his A ball, which is his best kicking day.


So where does all of the data live?


Simple Kicking consolidates all kicking data into one online portal.


Simple Kicking has FG Tests to screen players to evaluate whether or not an athlete is ready for the next level. Pro Days are an in-person evaluation completed by a trusted eye by NFL Scouting Departments.

https://www.geoji.com/g/Simple-Kicking-Qualifier-3844

Collecting Kicking Data to Boost Exposure

https://streamyard.com/watch/kQHKzzFKeiuE

The Pro-Days are your opportunity to compete and show how the trust you have built turns into results. It also brings previous performance into the evaluation. We evaluate your entire kicking history.


A player leaves with three things:


1) Data integrity: we consolidate all of your highlights and videos, then we set up live streams, that way coaches have at least 60 snap, hold kicks to analyze you. Then from that we are putting on a camp this summer from the top players we have an in-person competition.


There is no one else who is tracking your kicks and delivering it to the college coaches.


We are not coming up with a subjective score whether or not you can kick a long kick. We use real data, real metrics evaluating every one of your kicks, not just highlights. Coaches do not care about your highlights they care about results.


Simple Kicking delivers your results to college coaches in one easy to access place.


2) They have a comparison to top college players, and also their peers.


3) They enter the season with the tools needed to be confident and produce consistent results.


4) Simple Kicking Skinny Posts. Live reports and competition.


5) Kickers have validated exposure to college coaches.

Boosting exposure to college coaches

We show how the prospect compares to the top active FBS kickers.


It sounds like another ranking system? Do you use 5 or 6 stars?


Neither, our rating is based on actual results from 20,000 kicks collected from NFL and college play-by-play data.


Our kicking database is unlike any other because it compares actual FBS averages to evaluate where a prospect ranks. We use stats to rate kickers, not stars.

Simple Kicking has developed advanced metrics to help colleges correctly identify which prospects to evaluate further at camp. 1) We track kicks. 2) We break the data down. 3) We rank.


What’s the pitch?


Wrong sport… Compared to other positions, the window to evaluate kickers closes quickly. We have distilled many data points into a single score that identifies who has the consistency to kick at the next level.


Think of it this way.


Would you rather offer a scholarship to a kicker based on highlights OR 100s of attempts over their entire career?


What kinds of data does Simple Kicking evaluate?


Our goal is to see beyond the obvious. Since traditional metrics do not tell the whole story, we have created our own which have been validated by dozens of NFL and college coaches.


1)   Point-production: a prospect’s ability to consistently make kicks in critical moments.


2)   Pin-point precision: the distance (in feet) from the center of the goal posts to the location in which the ball crossed the uprights.


3)   Punting, too: we estimate net yards based on multiple factors.


We'll go into the specific metrics down below.

Helping transfer kickers find scholarships

Tyler Brown is a Special Teams Graduate Assistant at the University of Michigan. Tyler has been surrounded by elite kickers and punters for nearly 2 decades through his father, Randy Brown. Randy is the Special Teams Coach at the Baltimore Ravens. Tyler has been by his father's side while he coached NFL placekickers like, Jason Elam, David Akers, Billy Cundiff, Justin Tucker, Wil Lutz, and the list goes on.



Tyler has learned from "The Wolfpack" which is the best specialist unit to ever be assembled in the NFL. The Wolfpack is made up of: kicker Justin Tucker, punter Sam Koch, and long snapper Morgan Cox. Tyler knows what it takes to earn a job, but also keep one, and win Championships like the Baltimore Ravens in 2012 capturing a Super Bowl.



Tyler has implemented the experience gained from his mentorship under Randy to "the Wolverines" in Ann Arbor. In 3 seasons, numerous school records have been broken by Jake Moody and Quinn Nordin. Most importantly the system is in place, working like a well oiled engine.



The inaugural episode of the Simple Kicking podcast covers the lessons Ty has learned from his specialists and he opens up on his techniques on coaching. His best advice comes on recruiting, and how kickers and punters can improve. For example, his specialists watch film on NFL kickers like Harrison Butler of the Kansas City Chiefs, and emulate their technique.

Tyler Brown, University of Michigan Special Teams

Austin McNamara was the starting punter for the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2019.  As a true freshman, he was selected to the 2019 All-Big 12 Football First Team.

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118
 
Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

There were numerous 2020 NFL Draft selections on this team of stars:

-  CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma, No. 17 overall pick (first round) in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys
-   Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma, No. 23 overall pick (first round) by the Los Angeles Chargers
-   Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech, No. 27 overall pick (first round) by the Seattle Seahawks
-   Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU,  No. 31 overall pick (first round) by the Minnesota Vikings
-   Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU, No. 40 overall pick  by the Houston Texans
-   Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma, Alabama, No. 53 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles
-   Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas Longhorns, No. 92 overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens
-   James Lynch, DL, Baylor, No. 130 overall pick  by the Minnesota Vikings
-   Colton McKivitz, OT,West Virginia,  No. 153 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers
-   Hakeem Adeniji, OT, Kansas, No. 180 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals
-   Bravvion Roy, DL, Baylor, No. 184 overall pick (sixth round) by the Carolina Panthers (Coached by Head Coach Matt Rhule)
 
Austin was also named to the Freshman All-America Team on multiple outlets: USA Today Sports, 247Sports, Football Writers Association of America, The Athletic, and Pro Football Focus. He is the first Texas Tech Punter to ever be named a Freshman All American.  (Put him in the same trajectory as Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs, MVP of Super Bowl LIV) He outperformed nearly all punters, averaging over 45 yards in net punting compared to the 38.82 yards in NCAA Average.  Plus he played against some of the top punt returners in the NCAA.  More of his impressive stats to follow because the McNamara episode is broken up into 2 segments.
 
The first segment was recorded around Father’s Day weekend and it covers how his dad, Brian McNamara, coached Austin early on, and how he aided Austin during the college football recruiting.  The goal was and always has been to improve at punting. Brian talks about how hard Austin works, and shares his favorite hashtag #HardWorkPaysOff.  For parents of high school football kickers and punters this segment may answer some of the following questions:  How to get a college athletic scholarship?  How do I get exposure to college football coaches, special teams coordinators, special teams QC or Analysts? Which showcases, combines, invitationals, camps should I go to?  Who is the best kicking coach? Who is the best punting coach?
 
Brian did not miss a game in 2019, just as Jim Burrow did not. Jim is the father of Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, and 2019 National championship for the LSU Tigers in the College Football Playoff, and was the first overall pick in 2020 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
 
Brian played collegiate golf at Long Beach State before earning degrees at the University of Texas and BYU.  He also coached Austin at Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona and guided Austin to choose his own path, serving as a wingman.
 
You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118
 
Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Austin McNamara, Texas Tech Punter, and his Father, Brian

Episode 3 is really part 2 of the Austin McNamara interview. In 2019 Austin was a Freshman All-American Punter for Texas Tech.  Coached by Head CoachMatt Wells & Special Teams Coordinator Mark Tommerdahl, he was also named to the 2019 All-Big12 Football team.  If you’re a nerd about kicking and punting, you could find that this episode is just right for you.

Please comment or like below!

On the surface, Austin’s stats are impressive, averaging 45 yards per punt in 2019 as a true Freshman  for the Red Raiders.  Digging deeper into the conversation, I find it more appropriate to call it outstanding. 

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118
 
Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

The second segment goes deeper into why.  Find out how Austin improves in the offseason, #HardWorkPaysOff and in specific how he manages the windy conditions in Lubbock, Texas.  Jones AT&T Stadium is difficult to play in, and he knows how to punt in or with the wind.  Texas Tech Football Recruiting got an amazing recruit in Austin McNamara.  Who knows, maybe one day he ends up as successful as Patrick Mahomes, but he might end up being a Texas Tech football player in the NFL.

Listening to this segment will sound like listening to a professional because it goes into the weeds on how Austin approaches his daily routine.  It spells out what his phrase “Hard Work Pays Off” looks like and feels like.  If you think you want a college football scholarship then hearing this story might inspire you. Austin does the little things very well, which makes him have 100% confidence when he steps on the field.

Austin was named to the Freshman All-America Team on multiple outlets: USA Today Sports, 247Sports, Football Writers Association of America, The Athletic, and Pro Football Focus. He is the first Texas Tech Punter to ever be named a Freshman All American. (Put him in the same trajectory as Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs, MVP of Super Bowl LIV) He outperformed nearly all punters, averaging over 45 yards in net punting compared to the 38.82 yards in NCAA Average. Plus he played against some of the top punt returners in the NCAA. More of his impressive stats to follow because the McNamara episode is broken up into 2 segments.

For parents of high school football kickers and punters this segment may answer some of the following questions: How to get a college athletic scholarship? How do I get exposure to college football coaches, special teams coordinators, special teams QC or Analysts? Which showcases, combines, invitationals, camps should I go to? Who is the best kicking coach? Who is the best punting coach?

Austin is from Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona.
 
You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118
 
Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Austin McNamara, Part 2, Texas Tech Punter, Freshman All-American

Episode 4 features Chris Sailer and Chris Rubio.  Over the past 20 years, Sailer & Rubio have built a kicking, punting, and long snapping empire.  Hosting camps across the country, they give instruction to kickers, punters, and long snappers. As an added bonus, there is a ranking system for specialists that is highly regarded by the top NCAA Division 1 (D-1) football coaches.  Consequently, the top specialists have successful college careers. Many of them have captured the Ray Guy Award or the Lou Groza Award.

Here is a list of the NFL specialists that have been through the Chris Sailer Kicking Camps:

Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens, University of Texas, Westlake High School
Dustin Hopkins, Washington Redskins, Florida State University, Clear Lake High School
Kai Forbath, Dallas Cowboys, UCLA
Nick Folk, NFL (Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, New England Patriots), Arizona, 
Blair Walsh, Minnesota Vikings, University of Georgia
Jeff Lock, Minnesota VIkings, UCLA
Tress Way, Washington Redskins, University of Oklahoma
Bryan Anger, Houston Texans, University of California, Berkeley
Colton Schmidt, Buffalo Bills, University of California, Davis
Cody Parkey, Philadelphia Eagles, Auburn University
Matt Darr, Miami Dolphins, University of Tennessee
Bradley Pinion, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Clemson University
Reid Ferguson, Buffalo Bills, LSU, Buford High School
Blake Ferguson, Miami Dolphins, LSU, Buford High School
Ty Long, Los Angeles Chargers, University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB)
JK Scott, Green Bay Packers, University of Alabama
Elliot Fry, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, University of South Carolina

Please comment or like below!

Sailer, Rubio and I reconnected at the Top 12 event in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and after a sweltering kicking camp, they joined me to talk about how Chris Sailer Kicking and Rubio Long Snapping began.

Please check Chris out below :
Follow @Chris_Sailer on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chris_sailer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissailerkicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris_sailer
Web: https://www.ChrisSailerKicking.com

Please check Chris Rubio out below :
Follow @TheChrisRubio on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/TheChrisRubio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubiolongsnapping
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubio.longsnapping
Web: https://www.RubioLongSnapping.com

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118
 
Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

At the Top 12 Camp, I personally charted the kicks and punts using the Simple Kicking App.  The data concluded that it was definitely the best kicking and punting talent in the country.

Cameron Little
Joe McFadden
Bert Auburn
David Kemp
Cole Becker
Joshua Bryan
Brenden Segovia
Tommy Doman
Michael Hughes
Caden Costa
Will Fowler
Carter Brown

This episode feels like a hang out with your coaches and teammates.  You will hear how the best in the country prepared, how they compete, and how they deal with pressure.  Additionally, if your goal is to receive a full college scholarship as a kicker, punter or long snapper - then going to one of their camps is likely a good strategy. They have a wide variety of events & relationships: #Top12, Underclassmen Invitational, Event Elite, The Punt Factory, Rising Stars, U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Polynesian Bowl, and other charting camps.

Chris Sailer and Chris Rubio, Chris Sailer Kicking, Rubio Long Snapping

Rob Roche is the President of RSR Sports.  He is certified by the National Football League Players Association as a contract advisor and is authorized to negotiate with NFL Teams on behalf of professional football players that have either been drafted or signed as free agents.

Rob opened up to share stories with the Community.  He exudes passion, interest, and energy which made our time together flow.  The way he approached the Show is how he approaches his clients with 100% commitment.

This episode covers major topics surrounding kicking and punting in the NFL from contract negotiations to how he became an NFL agent.  Topics were raised from previous episodes with other guests.  For example, Rob gives his opinion on how to earn a job in the NFL vs. how to keep a job.  

This is related to a discussion with Tyler Brown, Kicking Coach for the Michigan Wolverines,

Rob shares his advice to college freshman kickers who have desires to kick in the NFL.  He shares how to deal with pressure similarly to the Chris Sailer & Chris Rubio episode.  The key connecting idea is to enjoy yourself, and have fun kicking, punting, or long snapping.

Additionally he breaks down the important features of an NFL contract, backed by hard numbers that he has successfully won on behalf of his clients.

Over a twenty year career as an NFL agent, Rob has negotiated hundreds of millions of dollars in NFL contracts. He has negotiated record breaking contracts for clients such as:

Justin Tucker - Kicker (Baltimore Ravens, University of Texas, Westlake High School)
Josh Brown - Kicker (New York Giants, University of Nebraska, Foyil High School)
Shayne Graham* - Kicker (Cincinnati Bengals, Virginia Tech University, Pulaski High School)
Neil Rackers** - Kicker (Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, University of Illinois, Aquinas-Mercy High School
Justin Rohrwasser - Kicker (No. 159 overall pick (fifth round) in the 2020 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, Marshall University, University of Rhode Island)
Brett Maher - Kicker (New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Ottawa Redblacks, University of Nebraska, Kearney High School)
Thomas Hennessy - Long Snapper (New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Duke University, Don Bosco Preparatory High School)
Rick Lovato - Long Snapper (Philadelphia Eagles, Old Dominion, Middletown High School South)
Chase McLaughlin*** - Kicker (Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, University of Illinois, Cypress Woods High School)
Aldrick Rosas - Kicker (New York Giants, Southern Oregon, Orland High School)
Matt McCrane - Kicker (Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas State, Brownwood High School)
Dominik Eberle - Kicker (Las Vegas Raiders, Utah State, Redondo Union High School)

He also represents broadcasters such as Jordan Kent (Play-by-Play announcer for the Portland Trailblazers and Nintendo Gaming)  

Additionally, Rob is a nationally recognized authority on the role of agents in the sports industry.

Finally, Rob is a Professor of Sports Management at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ and Drew University in Madison, NJ.

*Shayne is the current special teams analyst at the University of Florida & he had stints with nearly half of the teams in the NFL: New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons
**Neil Rackers also played for the Cincinnati Bengals.
***Chase also had stints with the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, and the Los Angeles Chargers

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Rob Roche, NFL Agent, discusses NFL Kickers, Field Goals, Punting, Snapping, Contracts

Reid Ferguson is the Long Snapper for the Buffalo Bills.  The Bills selected him as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2016, and his first NFL season as a starter was 2017. Reid played college football at Louisiana State University after graduating from Buford High School in Buford, GA.  Reid’s brother is Blake Ferguson.  Blake is the Long Snapper for the Miami Dolphins, an AFC East Rival.

Making it to the NFL is hard, after speaking with Rob Roche in last week’s episode we learned the difference between getting a job vs. keeping a job.  Please check out that episode here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-5-rob-roche-nfl-agent-discusses-nfl-kickers/id1521447540?i=1000486373906


In this discussion Reid illustrates how critical accuracy is, and how it comes with a wide thanklessness for the position.  In fact, Jon Dorenbos (Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints) name was brought up, and it was only moments before the interview did I find out if Jon’s career and current talents.

Tom Brady is not the G.O.A.T without Adam Vinatieri. Who was the long snapper for his game winning field goals in the Super Bowls for the New England Patriots? Reid knew, Lonie Paxton. On the other hand, I did not.  Long snappers are unnoticed, underappreciated, yet the most critical piece of the kicking and punting puzzle.

This episode covers topics surrounding Reid’s journey at Buford High School and LSU. He echoes the previously heard wisdom for high school snappers to NFL free agent snappers who have desires to snap in the NFL.  The Chris Sailer & Chris Rubio episode is an appropriate place to hear the coaches perspective, beautifully linking that critical relationship that highlighted Reid’s college football recruiting, technical learning, and how he learned to enjoy the long snapping grind.  Please check out that podcast here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-4-chris-sailer-chris-rubio/id1521447540?i=1000485609988

Please follow Reid:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/snapflow69
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reidferguson

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Reid Ferguson, NFL Long Snapper, Buffalo Bills #69

John Carney is a former NFL kicker who played in the league for 20+ seasons.  He spent 75% of his career on the San Diego Chargers (currently known as the Los Angeles Chargers) and the New Orleans Saints.  His last name was also stitched on jerseys for the following teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and the New York Giants.  In 1994 he was selected to the Pro Bowl with the Chargers, and 14 years later with the Giants in 2008.  The Simple Kicking podcast has had echoes of wisdom throughout the various episodes.  This conversation is a direct shot from the source of many of those nuggets.

This episode covers stories from Carney’s career, both playing and coaching.  He covers Thomas Morstead’s epic onside kick from Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, how Carney made his way to the University of Notre Dame football team from Caridnal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida, and what makes the great kickers and punters tick.

Currently, Carney mentors thousands of kickers, punters, and long snappers through the Carney Training facility in Carlsbad, California.

Please follow John Carney:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/carneycoaching
Instagram: https://instagram.com/carneykicking
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carneycoaching
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/carneycoaching
Web: https://www.carneycoaching.com/

The author of an historic career, John was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame, and he is the all time leading scorer for the San Diego Chargers.  He is transfusing his experience to kickers spanning a wide range; active-NFL kickers, punters & long snappers, NFL free agents, college kickers, high school kickers, and others.  Here is a list of the names that Carney has seen or worked with before:

Shayne Graham* - Kicker (Current Special Teams Coach at the University of Florida, Cincinnati Bengals, Virginia Tech University)

Nick Novak (University of Maryland, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans)
https://www.instagram.com/8nicknovak

Steve Weatherford (University of Illinois, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, New York Giants)
https://www.instagram.com/weatherford5

Ty Long (University of Alabama-Birmingham, Los Angeles Chargers)
https://www.instagram.com/tyrlong2/

Thomas Morstead (Southern Methodist University “SMU”, New Orleans Saints)
https://www.instagram.com/thomasmorstead/

Younghoe Koo (Georgia Southern, Atlanta Falcons)
https://www.instagram.com/kooyounghoe/

Matt Darr (University of Tennessee, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills)
https://www.instagram.com/m_darr/

Colton Schmidt (UC Davis, Buffalo Bills)
https://www.instagram.com/schmidttykicker/

Nick Folk (University of Arizona, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots)
https://www.instagram.com/nickfolk2https://www.instagram.com/schmidttykicker/
Blair Walsh (University of Georgia, Minnesota Vikings)
Matt Wile (University of Michigan, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings)

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

John Carney, NFL Kicker, San Diego Chargers: Super Bowl XLIV, Kicker Training, Pro Bowl

Lonie Paxton is a former NFL long snapper who played in the league for 12 seasons.  He spent most of his career on the New England Patriots, and finished with the Denver Broncos.  He is a 3-time Super Bowl Champion for the Patriots.  The meat of this episode is a prime cut of hard work, trust, and the importance of the team.

A graduate of Sacramento State, Lonie shares overall stories on various teammates like Tom Brady, Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Larry Izzo, and Willie McGinest.  Under the special teams category, he shares gold on Adam Vinatieri, and some of his favorite holders like Lee Johnson, Ken Walter, and Josh Miller.  You might enjoy listening to the stories about Bill Belichick because it gives a full taste of what made the Patriots dynasty so incredible.

He tells the story of the game tying field goal in the “Patriots Snow Bowl” which was the 2001 AFC Championship.  This is the game notoriously known as the “Tuck Rule Game” were Tom Brady’s fumble was ruled as an incomplete pass.  Hearing Lonie’s perspective made this one special.

Reid Fergsuon, who is the long snapper for the Buffalo Bills, shares some of the same wisdom as Lonie and you can check out that podcast episode:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58683uzemc&t=1448s 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/247pZKPeigXoYzO3uDeNTq
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-6-reid-ferguson-nfl-long-snapper-buffalo-bills-69/id1521447540?i=1000487065100
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODY5OTA1Nzk1?sa=X&ved=0CAsQzsICahcKEwiQ6oyanaPrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Transitioning to the Broncos, he was a solid teammate to Matt Prater, who is still having a solid career with the Detroit Lions.  Lonie was not only a talented long snapper, but a supportive rock for his kickers and punters.  To this day he stays in touch with NFL Snappers Morgan Cox (Baltimore Ravens), and Joe Cardona (New England Patriots), and others sharing his wisdom, knowledge and experience.

Please follow Lonie Paxton:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/loniepaxton
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrLongsnapper66

Making it to the NFL is hard, after speaking with Rob Roche in a previous episode we learned the difference between getting a job vs. keeping a job.  Please check out that episode here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-5-rob-roche-nfl-agent-discusses-nfl-kickers/id1521447540?i=1000486373906


You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Lonie Paxton, NFL long snapper & 3-time Super Bowl Champion for the New England Patriots

Ryan Jones is a former NCAA kicker who was a 4-year starter at the University of Cincinnati.  He was coached by former Ohio State Head Coach Luke Fickell.  He spent most of his career as a kickoff specialist, and is currently an NFL Free Agent, pursuing a career kicking both field goals and kickoffs in the league.  Why have a free agent who has little experience kicking field goals on the show?  Because the goal of this episode is to give kickers from all levels nuggets to incorporate into their training and preparation.

High school kickers who aspire to play college football might connect with how the little things make the biggest difference.  He shares a key story from former NFL kicker, Nick Novak, (San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans.) Additionally, the Show covers previous advice from Reid Ferguson who is the long snapper for the Buffalo Bills. Reid had a goal to not give the front office a reason to cut you outside of on-field performance.  You can check out that podcast episode:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58683uzemc&t=1448s 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/247pZKPeigXoYzO3uDeNTq
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-6-reid-ferguson-nfl-long-snapper-buffalo-bills-69/id1521447540?i=1000487065100
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODY5OTA1Nzk1?sa=X&ved=0CAsQzsICahcKEwiQ6oyanaPrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en

Lessons are repeated from the Tyler Brown episode like hitting quality balls, athleticism, and enjoying the process. Multiple references are made during this episode, please check out that show on the University of Michigan Special teams coach here: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-1-tyler-brown-university-of-michigan-special-teams/id1521447540?i=1000480312979	


You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com


Making it to the NFL is hard, after speaking with Rob Roche in a previous episode we learned the difference between getting a job vs. keeping a job.  Please check out that episode here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-5-rob-roche-nfl-agent-discusses-nfl-kickers/id1521447540?i=1000486373906

Ryan Jones, NFL Free Agent & Former Kicker for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats

Episode 10 of the Simple Kicking Podcast features two excellent kickers from the Big 10 Conference.  2019 Consensus All-America, Keith Duncan, who is the kicker for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, and Jake Pinegar, who is the kicker for the Penn State Nittany Lions.  This is a roundtable discussion on how these elite kickers prepare for and perform in big games.  Regardless of the situation, listen to how they both relate to each other’s hard work.

All-American kicker Keith Duncan shakes hands with Head Coach Kirk Ferentz after each made field goal or PAT. After kicking numerous game winning field goals, you might feel Keith’s calm demeanor as he tells the story of ending the Michigan Wolverines playoffs hopes in 2018.  Fans rushing the field, is a byproduct of his mental progression & maturity.  A former walk-on, Duncan is considered the best college football kicker.  In 2020, he too was named to Lou Groza preseason Watch List in 2020,.  Additionally, he was named to the preseason first-team All-America by Walter Camp, Phil Steele and Athlon Sports, preseason first-team All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.  Here are his stats: 29/34 as a junior, making 100% of his kicks inside 40 yards. 

Coached by James Franklin and Joe Lorig, Pinegar is an Iowa native.  Listen to his bizarre recruiting story.  He was a starter as a true freshman in 2018,, breaking the Penn State freshman scoring record.  Another record he tied for is a Penn State long field goal of 45 yards in the Cotton Bowl Classic vs the University of Memphis at the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  The record was previously held by current New York Jets placekicker, Sam Ficken.  Pinegar shares why his mindset is critical to his early success, especially in big games vs. the Ohio State University Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA.  In fact he was recently named to the 2020 Lou Groza Award watchlist for the upcoming season.  In 2019, he converted 11/12 field goal attempts.


Reid Fergsuon, who is the long snapper for the Buffalo Bills, shared a story of nerves that is found on this podcast episode. Please check out Reid’s episode below:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58683uzemc&t=1448s 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/247pZKPeigXoYzO3uDeNTq
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-6-reid-ferguson-nfl-long-snapper-buffalo-bills-69/id1521447540?i=1000487065100
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODY5OTA1Nzk1?sa=X&ved=0CAsQzsICahcKEwiQ6oyanaPrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Please follow Keith Duncan:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithdunc3/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/keithdunc3

Please follow Jake Pinegar: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakepinegarr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jpinegar10

Making it to the NFL is hard, after speaking with Rob Roche in a previous episode we learned the difference between getting a job vs. keeping a job.  Please check out that episode here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-5-rob-roche-nfl-agent-discusses-nfl-kickers/id1521447540?i=1000486373906


You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Big Ten Conference Roundtable All-American Keith Duncan, Iowa, Jake Pinegar, Penn State

Episode 12 of the Simple Kicking Show features Blake Mazza who is the kicker at Washington State.  Playing under head coach Mike Leach in 2019, Mazza had a breakout year.  Increasing his field goal accuracy by over 35 percentage points from 2018, he was named to the 2019 Pac-12 Football All-Conference 1st team kicker.

Blake Mazza was a sophomore on the Washington State Cougars in 2019.  He was named one of three Lou Groza Finalists along with Rodrigo Blakenship, University of Georgia and current starting kicker for the Indianapolis Colts, and Keith Duncan, All-American kicker from the University of Iowa.  Please check out Episode 10 of the Simple Kicking Show with Keith Duncan here:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/ijqRHA74BI8 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pxewwfgBTYd01sjKEhake
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-10-big-ten-conference-roundtable-all-american/id1521447540?i=1000489692744
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODg1NDQwOTU2?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiXntamsNzrAhUXac0KHd--BvwQjrkEegQIGRAI&ep=6

Mazza missed 1 kick during the season, converting 20 of his field goal attempts.  Mazza holds the longest consecutive field goal streak in Washington State history. Additionally, Mazza was perfect from 50 yards range by converting both attempts.  Overall Mazza missed 1 kick all season converting 20 of 21 field goal attempts.  Blake Mazza was named to the 1st team All Pac-12 Team.

Blake Mazza attended Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas and began his career at the University of Arkansas.  The Razorbacks are a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC.)  Mazza transferred to Washington State in 2018.


This episode sounds like Austin McNamara's who is the punter for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and 2019 freshman all American. Listen to it here:

Youtube: https://youtu.be/mAh-4Q6F4fQ
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-kicking/id1521447540?i=1000484863119
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Afyz0qBZn80CYjSJ3HCZa?si=JT9pOf-bS9aH_7uOyh31bg
GooglePlay:https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODU3NTQyOTgx?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjo5dDwwuvrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw&hl=en

The visualization tactics echo shares from Keith Duncan on the Big Ten Roundtable here:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/ijqRHA74BI8 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pxewwfgBTYd01sjKEhake
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-10-big-ten-conference-roundtable-all-american/id1521447540?i=1000489692744
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODg1NDQwOTU2?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiXntamsNzrAhUXac0KHd--BvwQjrkEegQIGRAI&ep=6


You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Blake Mazza, Kicker, Washington State, All-Pac 12, 2019 Lou Groza Award Finalist

Episode 12, Part 2: of the Simple Kicking Show features two highly accurate kickers from the Pac-12.  Washington State and Washington play in a rivalry game called the Apple Cup. An annual meeting, the UDub Huskies have won the last 7 meetings.  This podcast features the kickers from the squads, Blake Mazza and Peyton Henry, who are kickers at Washington State and Washington, respectively.  They experienced massive improvement from 2018 to 2019.  A combined 95.1% on field goal accuracy in 2019, this is an increase of 25.1 percentage points from 2018. Together they make up the kickers on the 2019 Pac-12 Football All-Conference 1st team and 2nd team.

Blake Mazza was a sophomore on the Washington State Cougars in 2019.  He was named one of three Lou Groza Finalists along with Rodrigo Blakenship, University of Georgia and current starting kicker for the Indianapolis Colts, and Keith Duncan, All-American kicker from the University of Iowa.  Please check out Episode 10 of the Simple Kicking Show with Keith Duncan here:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/ijqRHA74BI8 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pxewwfgBTYd01sjKEhake
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-10-big-ten-conference-roundtable-all-american/id1521447540?i=1000489692744
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODg1NDQwOTU2?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiXntamsNzrAhUXac0KHd--BvwQjrkEegQIGRAI&ep=6

Mazza missed 1 kick during the season, converting 20 of his field goal attempts.  Mazza holds the longest consecutive field goal streak in Washington State history. Additionally, Mazza was perfect from 50 yards range by converting both attempts.  Overall Mazza missed 1 kick all season converting 20 of 21 field goal attempts.  Blake Mazza was named to the 1st team All Pac-12 Team

Peyton Henry was a sophomore on the University of Washington Huskies in 2019.  Henry was named a Lou Groza Semi-Finalist.  Henry missed 2 kicks all season converting 19 of 21 field goal attempts.  Henry was named to the 2nd team All Pac-12 Team.

Blake Mazza attended Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas and began his career at the University of Arkansas.  The Razorbacks are a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC.)  Mazza transferred to Washington State in 2018.  Peyton Henry attended Monte Vista High School in Danville, California.

Both playing for legendary college coaches; Mike Leach and Chris Petersen, they are now playing for new head coaches. Nick Rolovich and Jimmy Lake. 


Ty shares his approach to NFL games, and specifically he repeats his mantra throughout the episode.  Please check it out to hear how he deals with nervousness prior to games.  

The Show covers previous advice from Reid Ferguson, who is the long snapper for the Buffalo Bills, and Keith Duncan, who is the All-American kicker for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The visualization tactics echo shares from Keith Duncan on the Big Ten Roundtable here:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/ijqRHA74BI8 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pxewwfgBTYd01sjKEhake
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-10-big-ten-conference-roundtable-all-american/id1521447540?i=1000489692744
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODg1NDQwOTU2?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiXntamsNzrAhUXac0KHd--BvwQjrkEegQIGRAI&ep=6


You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Blake Mazza, WSU, Peyton Henry, UDub, 2019 All Pac-12 Kicker Roundtable Part 2

Episode 16 of the Simple Kicking Show is a Roundtable featuring the TCU and SMU kickers. Griffin Kell is the kicker for the TCU Horned Frogs coached by Gary Patterson, and Chris Naggar is the kicker for the SMU Mustangs coached by Sonny Dykes.  Both are Arlington High School graduates who played for Head Coach Scott Peach, which made this episode unique because both Kell and Naggar have been training with one another for nearly 8 seasons.

This roundtable covers the differences between making normal field goals and converting crunch time kicks.   Both kickers shed light on the hard work and dedication required to perform at a high level.  How to become a better kicker through confidence, and how adversity builds mental toughness.
  
Griffin Kell was named as the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for converting 4/4 field goals against the University of Texas.  A road win at Darrell K. Royal Stadium-Texas Memorial Stadium, Kell firmly cemented his name as an elite kicker.  TCU has a long list of solid kickers, most recently the Horned Frogs had a Lou Groza Semifinalist in 2019 in Jonathan Song.  Early in a career, Kell is showing that his hard work, endless pursuit of progress, and passion for kicking will lead to many more clutch kicks.

Chris Naggar finished his undergraduate playing career at the University of Texas at Austin, waiting for an opportunity to kick field goals.  Naggar had the opportunity to train with Phil Dawson while at Texas.  (Dawson was a 20 year NFL veteran who played for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.) Naggar has applied the lessons learned, wisdom, and self-belief to a lights out senior campaign for the SMU Mustangs.  Kicking the game winning 43 yard field goal against a Top 25 ranked Memphis Tigers squad, Naggar was 3/3 on field goals (27, 25, 43), tallied a handful of touchbacks on kickoff, and placed two punts inside the 20 yards line while averaging 45.8 yards on 4 punts.  This earned Naggar American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the third straight week.  Similar to Kell, Naggar shares how he has kicked for nearly 10 years, which builds confidence required to convert clutch field goals.

Naggar’s story is similar to Ty Long’s.  Long is the Punter for the Los Angeles Chargers.  You can hear his story of overcoming coaches and scouts who overlooked him through hard work and grit here.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/kx62s5w9H0Y
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jtaRsHsKGqA3cZ8WFcKNV
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-kicking/id1521447540?i=1000490649402


Additionally,  this episode echoes previous Roundtable featuring 2019 Lou Groza Finalists, Keith Duncan from Iowa, and Podcast with Blake Mazza from Washington State.  You can find the Big Ten Roundtable here: 

YouTube: https://youtu.be/ijqRHA74BI8 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pxewwfgBTYd01sjKEhake
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-10-big-ten-conference-roundtable-all-american/id1521447540?i=1000489692744
Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjg0MDI0OTUyMy9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvODg1NDQwOTU2?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiXntamsNzrAhUXac0KHd--BvwQjrkEegQIGRAI&ep=6

You can also find the Blake Mazza Podcast:

YouTube:https://youtu.be/hhtuUb22Dvs

You may also find the Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store helpful in charting your kicks and punts https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/simplekicking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplekicking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplekicking
Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

*Phil Dawson was an NFL Veteran who played for the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals

Iron Skillet Roundtable, TCU Kicker Griffin Kell, and SMU Kicker Chris Naggar

Leigh Steinberg is the CEO of Steinberg Sports and Entertainment. (SS&E.)  He represents primarily NFL players; however he has represented other sports areas well. His bio on his website states: “Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, golf, etc.”

Over a four decade career as an NFL agent, Leigh has negotiated over $4 billion in contracts. He has an NFL Record 8 time NFL Draft 1st Overall Picks, and 64 total First Round Picks.  Additionally, he and is clients have donated over $850M to charities. His clients are:

Patrick Mahomes II - Quarterback (Kansas City Chiefs, Texas Tech University, Whitehouse High School) Super Bowl MVP of Super Bowl LIV
Troy Aikman - Quarterback (Dallas Cowboys, UCLA, University of Oklahoma) Currently FOX Sports lead game analyst
Steve Bartkowski - Quarterback (Los Angeles Rams, Cal, Santa Clara Buscher)
Steve Young - Quarterback (San Francisco 49ers, BYU, Greenwich High School)
Tua Tagovailoa - Quarterback (Miami Dolphins, Alabama, Saint Louis School)
Ben Roethlisberger - Quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers, University of Miami, Ohio)
Others such as Bruce Smith, Warren Moon, Thurman Thomas, Kordell Stweart, Jeff George, Myron Rolle, Matt Leinart, Mark Brunnell, Ricky Williams, Howie Long, Edgerrin James, Eric Karros, Dusty Baker, Lennox Lewis, Oscar de la Hoya, John Starks

This episode covers major topics surrounding kicking and punting in the NFL from how to endure entering the NFL as a specialist, for example kickers and punters are cut from multiple teams before landing on a roster. Mr. Steinberg shares what attracted him to representing specialists such as:

Rolfe Benirschke - Kicker (San Diego Chargers, University of California, Davis, La Jolla High School)
Mike Lansford - Kicker (Los Angeles Rams, University of Washington, Pasadena City College, Arcadia High School)
Chuck Nelson - Kicker (Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, University of Washington, Everett High School)
Nick Lowery - Kicker (Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Dartmouth College, St. Albans School)
Gary Anderson - Kicker (Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Syracuse)
Lee Johnston - Punter (Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, BYU, McCullough (The Woodlands, TX))
Jim Arnold - Punter (Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Vanderbilt, Dalton High School)

The SS&E clients are remarkable off the field as well.  Their clients retrace their roots.  Through actions such as setting up foundations, or creating a scholarship fund to their high school or universities, the athletes become role models in their high school, collegiate, and professional communities.  For example, Patrick Mahomes has the 15 and the Mahomies Foundations which focuses on helping youth charities. You can find out more at https://www.15andthemahomies.org

Mr. Steinberg shares how the best athletes learn to adopt a quiet mind, sharing stories of Super Bowl Winning Quarterbacks. Finally he shares how he trains the next generation of sports professionals to ensure that they conduct themselves with high ethics and morals.

Cameron Crowe hired him as a technical advisor to the movie, Jerry Maguire, starred by Tom Cruise & Cuba Gooding Jr.



Please follow Steinberg Sports and Entertainment:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/@leighsteinberg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/super.agent.leigh.steinberg
Web: https://www.steinbergsports.com

Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
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Web: https://www.simplekicking.com

Leigh Steinberg, NFL Super Agent, CEO, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment

Humans like Thomas Morstead are rare.  He is the current Punter for the New Orleans Saints.  He has many roles on the team; team captain, holder for Wil Lutz' extra points and field goals, onside kick specialist, and a "big brother" to many of his teammates because he is the second oldest player on the roster behind Drew Brees!

Morstead was a 5th round draft choice for the New Orleans Saints in 2009 from Southern Methodist University (SMU).  This is rare for two reasons: 1) punters aren't typically drafted, and 2) punters aren't typically drafted early!  Finding out in the Podcast, Morstead received an academic scholarship for mechanical engineering at the Lyle School of Engineering.

The consistency of his career is another rare attribute of Morstead.  He has missed 2 games (injury during 2015 season) over the last 12 seasons.  Staying healthy, maintaining form, and constantly performing, Morstead has had an illustrious stint as one of the best NFL punters to ever play the game.

Put it this way, there have been 108 teams who have played in the Super Bowl, and 54 of them are Champions.  Historically, in the history of the Super Bowl game have punter also kicked an onside kick, an onside kick that was successful?   I believe there is only one, and that is Thomas Morstead.

You can hear the story of the Super Bowl XLIV "Ambush" onside kick from John Carney here: 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/IpdNN5FAXOc
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vqUZ2o0qylla5J7sV7TTw?si=F0bVu-JAQiOyK4JUjcmV0w
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-kicking/id1521447540?i=1000487772542
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/simplekicking/episode-7-john-carney-nfl-kicker-san-diego-chargers-super-bowl-xliv-kicker-training-pro-bowl

Morstead’s punting statistics are remarkable.  71.5% of his punts (63 punts) from the plus area of the field (Scoring side of the field) have been downed inside the 20.  Also, 176 of his career punts from the 21-50 yardline have also been downed inside the 20 yardline representing a 39.8% IN20 percentage.  That means his defense takes over with a lot of green grass behind it.

Continuing with his rarity, Morstead is an author.

A Pearland, TX native, Morstead co-authored a children's sports book called "The Middle School Rules of Thomas Morstead" with Sean Jensen.  The book can be purchased online or in a Target store.

Thomas and his wife, Lauren, have a foundation named, What You Give Will Grow (WYGWG), which according to the foundation's website: "The mission of What You Give Will Grow is to improve the lives of those in need through support of local causes and organizations in the New Orleans and Gulf South communities, with a strong focus on children’s charities and cancer initiatives." Please order the book as proceeds from the sales of the book benefit WYGWG.

Finally, Thomas Morstead has given of his time and energy helping other kickers and punters to grow in their craft.  Currently the New Orleans Saints have a practice squad punter named Blake Gillikin from Penn State.  Also, he attends Kohl's Kicking Camps annually coaching up campers.

Over a four-decade career as an NFL agent, Mr. Steinberg has negotiated over $4 billion in contracts. He has an NFL Record 8-time 1st Overall Draft Picks, and 64 total First Round Draft Picks.

He shares the similar mindsets that all of the elite athletes have: a quiet mind.

Check out the podcast! Youtube Link Below, but can be found anywhere Podcasts are heard.

https://youtu.be/y-UmbBuu7DU

Thomas Morstead, New Orleans Saints Punter: Gratitude, Mental Preparation, Emotions, Children's Book

Jack Fox is the Rookie punter for the Detroit Lions.  As of Week 11 in the 2020 season, Fox is currently leading the National Football League (NFL) in punting average gross distance, punting average net distance, and punts over 5.0 seconds of hang time.  He also serves as kickoff specialist, and holds on field goals and extra points for Matt Prater.

He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September.

Fox was an undrafted rookie free agent for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 from Rice University.  The Chiefs signed Jack fox to the Practice Squad. Unfortunately, he did not stay on long enough to receive a Super Bowl LIV ring.  Playing with NFL Veterans Dustin Colquitt and Harrison Butker, Jack improved his footwork, hand to foot operation time, becoming more consistent.  However, he was cut and deemed not ready to play during the 2019 season.

In early 2020, the Detroit Lions signed Fox, although he was under contract with an XFL squad.  Fox won the starting punter job over Arryn Siposs in Training Camp 2020.

In this episode of the Special Teams Lounge, Jack looks back at his first 10 games as an NFL Specialist, and how his simple mindset has him nationally recognized as a league leader.

Fox’s punting statistics are unheard of for a Rookie Punter.  He is averaging 50.6 yards per punt, 46.3 net yards per punt, 17 punts inside the 20, and over 10 punts clocked over 5.0 seconds of hang time.

Follow @SimpleKicking on:
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Jack Fox, NFL Punter, Detroit Lions

The Aussie Roundtable features two of college football’s best punters.  Max Duffy is the punter for the Kentucky Wildcats, and Lou Hedley is the punter for the Miami Hurricanes.  Both are statistically in the NCAA Top 10 for gross punting, Hedley averages 47.5 yards (4th), and Duffy is averaging 45.8 yards (9th).  Both were named semi-finalists for the 2020 Ray Guy Award, an annual award given to college football’s top punter.

Duffy is the reigning Recipient of the Ray Guy Award.  The two other finalists in 2019 were Dane Roy (University of Houston Cougars) and Sterling Hofrichter (Syracuse Orange.) (Fun fact: Hofrichter is the current punter for the Atlanta Falcons averaging 41.6 yards through 8 games of the 2020 NFL Season, and holding peaches for Younghoe Koo, who is dominating his first season with the Falcons.) Back to Duffy, he is a former pro in the Australian Rules Football league.

Hedley is averaging 47.5 yards per punt this season which is nearly an 8% increase in distance over his first season with the Hurricanes.  He is also the holder for Jose Borregales who was recently named Lou Groza Semifinalist, which is awarded to college football’s best place kicker.  (The only other placekicker-punter duo to be named the same awards is Jake Camarda and Jack Podlesny of the University of Georgia.)  Lou made his way to Coral Gables by way of the City College of San Francisco where he played JUCO.

Let’s talk more about awards.  Hedley has been named ACC Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season.  Punting in a conference where Pressley Harvin III (Georgia Tech) is having a breakout season averaging 47.65 yards per punt, Hedley has received the award after standing out in victories over Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh, games in which he averaged over 50 yard per punt.  Duffy was named SEC Special Teams Player of the week for his performance vs. Mississippi State after having a game where he averaged nearly 45 years per punt.  Digging deeper, he fired a moon rocket 75 yards on a free kicker after a safety which was really impressive pinning Mike Leach’s offense on their own 16.

Both have aspirations to play in the NFL, and this roundtable episode covers topics of growth in college.  Hedley shares how he has matured, becoming more familiar with the game which have allowed him to increase his gross yardage nearly 8% year over year.  Duffey who is studying for his masters in Psychology shares insight on his mental game.  The two punters are also good friends who help one another.  Their friendship spans back to Prokick Australia where Nathan Chapman develops punters who play college football in America.  

Duffy drew insight from listening to the Podcast with Thomas Morstead, who is the punter for the New Orleans saints.  You can find that episode here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWIIAxJ_48k
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/28yUdlW2w3LYuJtRtUCeOr?si=R3VdTcUJRUGLv9BuFaYqQg
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-kicking/id1521447540?i=1000499982952
Google Play: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-fox-nfl-punter-detroit-lions/id1521447540?i=1000499982952


The network of kickers and punters is small, and Duffy shares how he and Keith Duncan are friends.  Duncan is the kicker for the Iowa Hawkeyes who was named a 2019 Lou Groza Finalist.  He stopped by the Special Teams Lounge with Jake Pinegar, who is the kicker for the Penn State Nittany Lions.  You can hear that episode here:

Also, the conversation brought up fellow Aussie Punters: Brad Wing, LSU, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jamie Keehn, LSU.


And finally, if you would like to nerd out more on punting  you can hear the podcast with his Jack Fox, who is leading the NFL in Gross Distance and Net Average through 11 Weeks of the 2020 season as a Rookie for the Detroit Lions.


Youtube: https://youtu.be/RvBBHHQBsmU
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/416tHR6qAHRvHjdItgGuyJ?si=MhGUtJO4QberGrjepqwsbQ

Punter Roundtable: Max Duffy, Kentucky and Lou Hedley, Miami (FL)

Joe Sturniolo is an Assistant Coach for the Westminster Wildcats in Atlanta, Georgia who spends his time and energy entirely on kickers, punters, and long snappers.  This is a rarity because the vast majority, an estimated 0.31% of high school teams have a devoted coach for teaching specialists.  This episode of the Simple Kicking Show explores the story behind how it happened, and the tools in the toolbox that have been most helpful for Coach Sturno and the kickers.  This kind of story is the type that gets Pat Mcafee excited. In fact, it did in the early 2000s when he and Sturno crossed paths.  (That story, too is discussed on this episode.) 
 
An additional example of Westminster’s rarity is how the program is a talent hotbed for kickers.  Coach Sturno has produced a dozen Division 1 and/or NFL kickers over the past 20 years, which has effectively coined the name for Westminster as “Kicker U.”
 
Led by head coach Gerry Romberg, the program emphasizes special teams and dedicates sufficient resources to plays that take place on 4th down.  The kickers and punters work hard, based on the natural athletic abilities that come with them, but Coach Sturno’s passion has contributed to the longevity of “Kicker U.” Here are the most notable names that have come through the program:
 
Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs Kicker (Georgia Tech), Blake Gillikin, New Orleans Saints Punter (Penn State), Alex Gracey, Stanford Punter, Charlie Ham, Duke Kicker, Connor Weselman, Stanford Punter Commit, and one of the nation’s top punting recruits in Alex Bacchetta.
 
Other collegiate kickers and or punters who played under him: Avery Bass, Illinois, Felipe Villahoz, North Carolina, Patrick Knight, All-American Punter at Rhodes College, and many others to come.
 
Kickers and punters are athletes.  The inaugural episode of the Simple Kicking Show featured Tyler Brown, who is the Special Teams graduate assistant at the University of Michigan.  Tyler, who is the son of Baltimore Ravens Special Teams Coach Randy Brown, shared that some of the best athletes have chosen to become kickers.
 
You can find that episode here:
 
https://youtu.be/yU51BxMCM88
 
Sturno agrees with Brown that kickers are athletes. An example he gives is on Harrison Butker who he believes could have been a wide receiver in high school, or how Rankin Woley who played baseball at LSU and Auburn, could have been an incredible punter.  This episode is for high school coaches who understand athletes, but who may not grasp kicking because here is the good news, neither did Sturniolo when he started 20 years ago.
 
Sturniolo was the head statistician for the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia Tech Football shortly before he became an assistant coach at Westminster.  This involved work with the Southeastern Conference and the Sugar Bowl when it was forced to be moved due to Hurricane Katrina to the Georgia Dome in the early 2006.  Sturno attributes his knowledge to learning from books, DVDs, YouTube videos, clinics and crossing paths with Matt Bryant, long time kicker for the Atlanta Falcons.
 
As kickers are frequently left to the side, Coach Sturno saw an opportunity to develop them.  He disagrees that “practice makes perfect”; instead, he sees that developing good habits leads to better on the field performance in games which is his goal as a guide to the players, otherwise a coaching absence creates a vacuum that actually causes bad habits to solidify.
 
If you are a high school kicking recruit, a high school head football coach, then this episode is for you to explore ways to improve your own team based on Coach Sturno’s experience.

Joe Sturniolo, High School Kicking Coach, Westminster

Cade York is the field goal kicker for Louisiana State University (LSU), and Will Reichard is the kicker for the University of Alabama.  Both represent the finest kicking talent in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are considered two of the best kickers in college football.  

In 2020 the SEC was stacked with talented kickers.  York was named 1st Team All-SEC and Anders Carlson (Auburn University) was named 2nd Team All-SEC, and Harrison Mevis (Mizzou) was named 1st Team Freshman All-SEC.  Reichard was left out, but so was Evan McPherson (University of Florida) and Jack Podlesny (University of Georgia.)

Both York and Reichard were named semi-finalists for the 2020 Lou Groza Award which is an annual award given to college football’s top kicker.  Reichard was named one of three Lou Groza Finalists with Jake Oldroyd (Brigham Young University) and the 2020 Lou Groza Award winner, Jose Borregales (University of Miami.)

How does the Simple Kicking Index rank Cade and Will?

Let’s start with the Reichard, who was the kicker for the 2021 CFP National Champions. Reichard had a breakout season in 2020 after an injury-plagued 2019 .  He made 14/14 Field Goals with a Long of 52, and 84/84 PATs.  A 100% season on field goals and extra points. Based on the distances of his kicks, the Simple Kicking Index determined that Reichard performed 12.65 points above expected which ranks 3rd overall.

York, who was the kicker for the 2020 CFP National Champions ranked #2 overall.  He made 18/21 field goals, including 6/7 from 50+.  The Simple Kicking Index determined that York performed 13.86 points above expected.

The Simple Kicking Kicker of the year was Jose Borregales who kicked 14.76 points better than expected.

How does this compare to the previous 4 seasons? Both were in the top 20. Cade ranks #10, and Will ranks #17.  Other kickers who are on the list are:

Riley Patterson, University of Memphis, NFL Free Agent
Matt Gay, University of Utah, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams (he made the list twice!)
Cole Tracy, LSU, NFL Free Agent
Sam Sloman, Miami University (Ohio), Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans
Andre Szmyt, Syracuse University
Jose Borregales, University of Miami, Florida International University
Tyler Bass, Georgia Southern, Buffalo Bills
Keith Duncan, University of Iowa, NFL Free Agent
Nick Sciba, Wake Forest University
Gabe Brkic, University of Oklahoma
Rodrigo Blankenship, University of Georgia, Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Song, TCU, NFL Free Agent
Dominik Eberle, Utah State, Las Vegas Raiders

Cade York was a key asset to the LSU Tigers National Championship team led by Coach Ed Orgeron, and he improved in 2020. York was 7.63 points better than expected in 2019 making 21/26 field goals. He improved by 6.21 point year over year.  This is like saying Michael Jordan averaged 30 points one season, and 35 points the next season.  Both are really good, but he continues to improve.

Reichard was hurt in 2019 and bounced back in 2020.  But resilience is nothing new to Reichard.  During his career at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama he suffered a torn ACL.  He bounced back then earned a scholarship offer to the University of Alabama and started school shortly in January 2019.

This episode covers what it is like to get recruited as a kicker.  Reichard and York were both highly ranked in high school.  In fact, York who graduated from Prosper High School in Prosper, TX, kicked a 59 yard field goal in the Under Armour All-America Game. Also, we cover how Coach Nick Saban and Coach Jeff Banks recruited Reichard out of Hoover.

They explain how they got their college scholarships, what it is like winning a national championship, and how they feel playing in a game like LSU vs. Alabama every year.  York recalls his 57 yard game winner against the University of Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the fog.

Cade York, LSU, and Will Reichard, Alabama

Simple Kicking is a podcast hosted by James Hairston. Hanging out with the best field goal kickers, punters, and long snappers, on the planet, stories also come from coaches, recruiters, and agents.

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