Of our recruiting class...

[OU_Sooners75]

...some people think the only thing missing is the fact that we are still unable to land a top notch HS kicker.

I like what I seen out of Patrick O'Hara the last four games last year. Yeah, he had ZERO football experience before the A&M game. However, I think given more time to work on his technique and everything, he could be the man for us.

Maybe not Hartley, but I think he has a damn good upside to him.

What say you all?

FYI: He went 6 of 9 FGs. 1 Blocked, 2 Missed. Long of 47 yards.
He was perfect on PATs (10 for 10).

[Collier11]

He has the height on his kicks that you need, who seems to have the calm attitude that you need, only time will tell if he can be consistent enough.

I am interested to see what Bryce Easley can give us, word is the guy has a cannon for a leg, I think next year our overall kicking game will be much better

[Crucifax Autumn]

The only thing that scares me about kickers that never played football before is the possibility of the kicker being the last guy we're counting on to make a TD saving tackle.

[Collier11]

I wouldnt trust 99% of kickers to stop an assailant from running past them to kill their child, I dont think how long theyve been kicking really matters much :D

[Crucifax Autumn]

That';s true, but I'd rather hav a 1 in a million shot than 1 in a billion.

[OU_Sooners75]

Actually tackling for a kicker is the easy part.

all he must do is trip them up.

[Collier11]

Since typically scrawny white guys are so good in space with actual athletes

[OU_Sooners75]

Since typically scrawny white guys are so good in space with actual athletes


I bet most of those scrawny white guys are a lot more athletic than you are giving them credit for.

Are they the best athletes? No. Are the slowest athletes? no.

If they take the proper angles and they get in the way to trip up any runner...95% of the time or better, they will!

That or they will do enough most of the time to get the runner to slow down or to cut back into the help.

[Collier11]

With all of the football I watch, I can remember one kicker making a tackle in open space, just a few who tackled the guy on the sideline, anymore coaches just want the kicker to slow the guy down

Here is a rare case, you know that guy got made fun of

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ50DkuhTq8

[OU_Sooners75]

With all of the football I watch, I can remember one kicker making a tackle in open space, just a few who tackled the guy on the sideline, anymore coaches just want the kicker to slow the guy down

Here is a rare case, you know that guy got made fun of

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ50DkuhTq8


And that is their job. They are not defenders that tackle every play...**** in college, the kicker (99% of the time) is doing just that...kicking.

yeah, he gets in the mix in two-a-days. but after that, nope...he is off on his own kicking. sitting. kicking, sitting. Are other coaches different, yeah. but from my experiences, the kickers are off by themselves not really involved in the rest of the practice.

So yeah, you will expect them not to be the best tacklers on the field when they step on it.

They are safeties, hence the reason most of the time, them and one other player usually does not run down the field after the kick off.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Are the slowest athletes? no.

I'm not so sure about that. Any time I see a kicker or punter end up running the ball on a fake or a miscue I usually see a guy running like a 12 year old girl and looking like if he tried out for track the coaches would say "ever thrown a discus?"

[MeMyself&Me]

Man, I don't think I'd be picking a kicker based off of tackling abilities. I'd rather have a kicker that can make field goals, kick it out of the endzone on kickoffs, and that know how to set up coverage on punts to make it even less likely that he has to make a tackle.

[Crucifax Autumn]

That's not the issue really. I just said at the beginning that my only issue with kickers who had never played football is that occasional time where they are called on to stop the big play. Hell yeah I'm more concerned with their kicking ability. Simple common sense, but there is a weak point to pretty much anything, and in this particular case that is it. But damn right...Give me the guy that's gonna drill it through the uprights, kick it out of the endzone, or just flat out always put the ball where it needs to be.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Did you see the punter from OSU chase down Broyles?

[KantoSooner]

Wasn't there a guy who punted for San Diego in the NFL, an ex-Aussie rules player, who made some crushing stops with the line, "When I kick it down there, they are NOT supposed to bring it back."
Can't remember his name, but I remember liking his attitude.

[pweitkem]

What do we have to do to get a kicker that can clear the endzone on a kickoff? Kicking off to the ten yardline every time is painful. We need another Uwe von Schamann.

[IronHorseSooner]

Wasn't there a guy who punted for San Diego in the NFL, an ex-Aussie rules player, who made some crushing stops with the line, "When I kick it down there, they are NOT supposed to bring it back."
Can't remember his name, but I remember liking his attitude.

Bennett was his name. I also remember Duncan hitting a guy so hard that he fumbled the ball on a KO return.

[JLEW1818]

I honestly would bet that their are some students at OU who can kick 35 yard field goals

[swardboy]

What do we have to do to get a kicker that can clear the endzone on a kickoff? Kicking off to the ten yardline every time is painful. We need another Uwe von Schamann.

I don't think Uwe had to kick from as far back as today's kickers do. I believe he kicked from the 40. don't they kick from the 35 now? Or is it the 30? Anyways, we do see some kickers who consistently put it in the endzone still....I just think it's rarer.

[rawlingsHOH]

What do we have to do to get a kicker that can clear the endzone on a kickoff? Kicking off to the ten yardline every time is painful. We need another Uwe von Schamann.

We had some improvement, especially in the coverage, but still not as good as Hartley's last year.

2009
81 kickoffs
63.0 average
6 touchbacks
26 yardline, average starting position

2008
122 kickoffs
62.1 average
15 touchbacks
30 yardline, average starting position

2007 (Hartley's last year)
104 kickoffs
66.8 average
29 touchbacks
24 yardline, average starting position

[rawlingsHOH]

I honestly would bet that their are some students at OU who can kick 35 yard field goals

Yeah, namely Jimmy Stevens.

He was 11-for-11 inside 40 yards, last season.

[pweitkem]

I don't think Uwe had to kick from as far back as today's kickers do. I believe he kicked from the 40. don't they kick from the 35 now? Or is it the 30? Anyways, we do see some kickers who consistently put it in the endzone still....I just think it's rarer.

You are correct,they kick from further back. But Uwe would make field goals from the 40, kicked it into the stands... 15 yards past the end of the endzone. We don't need an Uwe type leg. Heck, people used to show up early for games to watch him warm up. That kind of kicker is very rare... just need someone that can kick 15 yards shorter (middle of endzone) then Uwe did.

[Jello Biafra]

i remember a fat, bald white dude that kicked for the wranglers that was an absolute *** kicker on returns...on more than one occasion did he flat out dismantle the returners central nervous system. it can be done, it has to do with attitude.

[JLEW1818]

Yeah, namely Jimmy Stevens.

He was 11-for-11 inside 40 yards, last season.

now for the big stat, OU kickers past 40 yards, an amazing 1-for-8... that my friend will not win a national title

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Bennett was his name. I also remember Duncan hitting a guy so hard that he fumbled the ball on a KO return.

dEuj8QI3RYU

its at the 3:41 mark. not so much hitting him hard as "got juked and reached out for something" and it ended up being the ball.

[BoulderSooner79]

We had some improvement, especially in the coverage, but still not as good as Hartley's last year.

2009
81 kickoffs
63.0 average
6 touchbacks
26 yardline, average starting position

2008
122 kickoffs
62.1 average
15 touchbacks
30 yardline, average starting position

2007 (Hartley's last year)
104 kickoffs
66.8 average
29 touchbacks
24 yardline, average starting position

I'll take the 2008 stats any day. 122 kickoffs and wasn't it 99 of them after TDs?

[goingoneight]

2008 wasn't so much bad coverage as it was horrible kickoffs and the team frequently got lazt with big leads. It wasn't just the kickoff coverage. It was the defense, too getting lazy at times.

[NormanPride]

dEuj8QI3RYU

its at the 3:41 mark. not so much hitting him hard as "got juked and reached out for something" and it ended up being the ball.

Damn I miss that defense... :(

[SoonerMom2]

There is a redshirt kicker from Norman who will be vying to be the kicker. He was really good in high school.

[Boomer.....]

There is a redshirt kicker from Norman who will be vying to be the kicker. He was really good in high school.

Bryce Easley from Norman North.

[MojoRisen]

As long as they are not a head case - and a choke... It is the confidence factor - Stevens and Way have none.

[OUmillenium]

The only thing that scares me about kickers that never played football before is the possibility of the kicker being the last guy we're counting on to make a TD saving tackle.

Makes sense, but Oklahoma should never allow itself to get in that position if we want to be a truly elite team and compete for championships.

[oudavid1]

The only thing that scares me about kickers that never played football before is the possibility of the kicker being the last guy we're counting on to make a TD saving tackle.

Thats what holders are for, John Nimmo would wreck shop

[oudavid1]

Kevin Cabello out of Putnam City North.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Makes sense, but Oklahoma should never allow itself to get in that position if we want to be a truly elite team and compete for championships.

heh, PRO teams get themselves into a bad situation with kickers. it isn't like we can go pick someone up off of waiver wires when we need a player.

[IronHorseSooner]

heh, PRO teams get themselves into a bad situation with kickers. it isn't like we can go pick someone up off of waiver wires when we need a player.

Or pull someone out of the stands, like another team that we know! I posted a while back that if we don't offer Cabello, then we should work with the soccer team to get him on campus, and then encourage him to walk on. The footage that I saw of him shows him with a strong leg, composed, and confident. Those are the magic trifecta for an elite kicker.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Or pull someone out of the stands, like another team that we know! I posted a while back that if we don't offer Cabello, then we should work with the soccer team to get him on campus, and then encourage him to walk on. The footage that I saw of him shows him with a strong leg, composed, and confident. Those are the magic trifecta for an elite kicker.

the ttech kicker was a unique situation though. if given a choice, i'm sure ever coach in the country would love to bring tryouts for the next year's kicker in the exact same situation.

full crowd
something on the line
all the pomp and circumstance icing them

now kick a 40 yarder or you are gone.

talk about seeing who can deal with the pressure. heck, it would be even better if it was a 7 home game survivor type contest.

getting back to the root of the thread, our coaches whiff on 40% of the prospects that they bring in on average. it tends to flow through positions and has actually happened at kicker before. how could anyone forget the highly regarded punter that in 2 days of practices never got a punt past 32 yards? or the kicker that never showed up and didn't bother telling any of our coaches he wasn't coming? luckily, trey dicarlo dropped out of a service academy to come and try out at OU.

[OU Engineer]

Id take Patty O'hara with no experience trying to tackle someone over 4 foot tall Jimmy Stevens trying to tackle someone....

Any way we can switch these kickers we don't need now to "academic" scholarships to free up more space?

[starclassic tama]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj7LNJYI--U

this video is incredible

[TXBOOMER]

Our field goal kicking situation sucks. I'm not comfortable with any of them. I would love to have that texass kicker that trotted out there and made that kick against Neb.

[TXBOOMER]

Yeah, namely Jimmy Stevens.

He was 11-for-11 inside 40 yards, last season.

What was he outside of 40?

We need a kicker that can make it from 40+ at crunch time. He ain't it.

[SbOrOiNaEnR]

I posted a while back that if we don't offer Cabello, then we should work with the soccer team to get him on campus, and then encourage him to walk on.

Well now that just ain't gonna work...OU has no men's soccer team. Juwanna Kicker?

[Eielson]

Well now that just ain't gonna work...OU has no men's soccer team. Juwanna Kicker?

I think they do. It's not very good, but I think it exists.

[Eielson]

I honestly would bet that their are some students at OU who can kick 35 yard field goals

I'd bet there are a ton. I could hit about one out of ten back near the end of elementary school.

[SbOrOiNaEnR]

I think they do. It's not very good, but I think it exists.

It's not on SoonerSports...maybe a non-NCAA club team? Like the rowers?

[Collier11]

What was he outside of 40?

We need a kicker that can make it from 40+ at crunch time. He ain't it.

I get what you are saying but I truly think Stoops made a mistake in benching Stevens, he was 11-13, Ohara and Way combined to go 7-15

[Eielson]

It's not on SoonerSports...maybe a non-NCAA club team? Like the rowers?

They may not. They either used to, or I was thinking of the girl's team.

[Crucifax Autumn]

So get someone off the friggin' girls' team if she can nail a 49 yarder!

[OU_Sooners75]

What do we have to do to get a kicker that can clear the endzone on a kickoff? Kicking off to the ten yardline every time is painful. We need another Uwe von Schamann.


No disrespect to von Schamann. But, the NCAA has since lowered the kickoff tee and has also moved the placement 5 or more yards back since he played.

He still did have a leg though!

And as far as FGs, no more of that little black thing they used to place the ball on in college and high school!

[OU_Sooners75]

now for the big stat, OU kickers past 40 yards, an amazing 1-for-8... that my friend will not win a national title


And if you are consistently having to kick beyond 40 yards, you are not going to begin to sniff a National Championship!

[OU_Sooners75]

What was he outside of 40?

We need a kicker that can make it from 40+ at crunch time. He ain't it.


O'Hara was the one that kicked a 47 yarder this year!

Stevens was 0-2 from 40+ yards.
Way was 0-4.

[MeMyself&Me]

And if you are consistently having to kick beyond 40 yards, you are not going to begin to sniff a National Championship!

3 points is all that was needed in the 2000 BCS Champ game. In fact, OU's only TD came following a redzone turnover.

[OU_Sooners75]

3 points is all that was needed in the 2000 BCS Champ game. In fact, OU's only TD came following a redzone turnover.


Not really following what I am saying.

If you must depend on 40+ yard fgs all season long to win games, the likelihood of making the national championship game is slim to none.

I am not talking about one game or one kick.