Guide to Getting a Kicking Scholarship to a Wrong College

          When I was a high school kicker, I made every mistake possible in the recruiting game. Enjoy reading about my experience. Maybe you will learn something. If not, hopefully you will be somewhat entertained.
         
         This is how my recruiting process went:

1) I can kick a 55 to 60 yard field goal in practice. Which means that I am really good and that I will play for a big time college - which is what my parents, teammates and coaches tell me.

2) Like most high school kickers, my game numbers are not as good as my practice numbers - about 50% touchbacks on kickoffs, 8 field goals, punting average just under 40. And like most high school kickers, I am not as good as I think that I am.

3) I am receiving occasional questionnaires and letters from various schools. They want me.

5) My senior season comes to an end. It is somewhat quiet. No calls, no letters, no coaches. Maybe I won't go to Ohio State University after all.

6) I frantically start sending out my stats and video to every school in the 300-mile radius. I am pretty sure that some of them don't even have football programs.   

7) After turning down several "scholarship" offers ranging between $1,000 and $4,000 for schools that cost $25,000+, I decide to walk-on at a local big time college - Youngstown State University.

8) Just 4 weeks before the start of 2-a-days, I get a call from a small NAIA school who lost their kicker and are in a desperate need. I visit the school. I ignore the fact that less than 1000 students attend the school, they lost 18 games in a row, town is depressing, games are played at a high school field, academic reputation is terrible, few Majors are offered, weight room is a converted classroom, .....and I accept the full scholarship.

9) I got a kicking scholarship. I am good. My world is restored.

10)...6 months into the school year, my college experience is terrible. Football season was bad. I am bored with school. Social life is depressing and extremely unhealthy in every way possible...Is this what college is suppose to be like...What kind of life am I preparing for in this setting? It is great that I am not paying for college. But the real question is...will I be paying for this experience in some other ways when I leave college?

11) Like most people that follow my foot steps, I get the hell out of dodge at the end of the year.
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          I don't want this post to be yet another "How to get recruited" article. There is definitely enough of those out there. This is a post on how to end up kicking for a wrong school. Just follow these 5 easy steps:

1. Don't get an honest assessment from someone who knows kicking and is honest.
2. Focus on big schools only in your pro-active recruiting efforts.
3. Even when all the evidence suggests otherwise, keep hope alive, and stay the course.
4. Upon realization that big schools are not an option, contact every school possible.
5. Regardless of everything else, commit to the school that offers you the most money.

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There are no experienced athletes in the recruiting process. Everyone goes through it only once. Even parents who have gone through it before will quickly learn that each sport is different, and kicker recruiting is different from running back or linemen recruiting. Which means that every kicker and his parents are susceptible to beginner mistakes. Hopefully this blog post gave you a different perspective on the recruiting process and college selection. For more information, go to TheKickingCoach.com college exposure page.

Filip Filipovic
TheKickingCoach.com

                                              

         
          

Hunter Niswander commits to Northwestern University

Hunter Niswander, one of the top high school specialists from the class of 2013 commits to Northwestern University.

Northwestern staff was eager to see Hunter kick in person at June 21st Chicago-land Showcase. Hunter performed great - displaying consistency that is rare among high school or college punters. He was offered a full scholarship immediately after the event.

Short article from Scout.com - http://northwestern.scout.com/2/1197472.html 

Will Billy Cundiff Ever Live This Down?

"Billy Cundiff will never live this down", was one of the common themes on most sports show on Monday, one day after his 32-yard missed field goal in the final seconds of the AFC championship game. If they only knew Billy as well as I do, I don't think that they would jump to this conclusion so quickly.

Billy gets paid millions of dollars to kick a football. That is all he has to do. How can he miss? I know, it sucks that he is not perfect because he gets paid a lot of money for his skill. But does this reasoning make sense for any other job? If you are getting paid well to do one job, are you not allowed to make a mistake?

Before I tell you more about Billy, there are few misconceptions about NFL kickers that I need to clear up. In order to keep this blog entry to under 100 pages, I will not talk about the tremendous amount of skills, training, genetics, and luck that it takes to make it to the NFL. I am just going to focus on general nature of the process that is becoming an NFL kicker.

For some reason, most people think that kicking a football is easy. While I agree that you can teach a 10-year old with soccer background to kick an extra point, kicking at the NFL level is quite difficult. It is a very very good job. It is not very physically demanding. You get paid a lot of money. You have a lot of free time. It is just lovely. But, it is not an easy job to get....or keep.

There are only 32 job openings in the world! Can you think of any other profession that pays greatly for being one of the top 32 in the world, but pays NOTHING for being 33rd best. Can you imagine the risks you take and odds that you face when you choose to pursue a profession with this pay arrangement ? How about added pressure that you face if you have to provide for people other than yourself ?

On average, about 2 college kickers will break into the NFL every year. Some years, there will be more than two - some years less. Contrary to what Disney movies may have you believe, ex-soccer players or mules (1976 movie "Gus") without college kicking experience, have 0% chance of making it to the NFL. Top NFL kickers have somewhat of a job security. But the remaining 80% have to compete to keep their job every year. It is not a lot of fun doing your job really well and then having your boss bring in a temp, every year, and tell you, "You are doing great. Don't worry about Michael here. We just want to see how well he can do your job."

Back to Billy. Before considering whether he will bounce back from this latest setback, consider what he went through to get to this point...

- did not get a kicking scholarship out of high school
- attended Drake University - non-scholarship small school
- did not get drafted after his college career ended
- was told by Indianapolis Colts that his leg was not strong enough for the NFL
- as an undrafted free agent, he won kicking job for the Dallas Cowboys
- played 5 seasons in the NFL during which he was cut by Cowboys, Packers, Buccaneers, Saints (I think that is all of them)
- Spent two years completely out of the NFL - working for a venture capital firm, raising his daughter, and training on his own.
- Reinvented his swing, clawed his way back into the NFL and finished the season for Ravens in 2009.
- in 2010 training camp, he competed against one of the all-time most accurate NFL kickers, Shayne Graham, and beat him out to win his own job with the Ravens.
- Made PRO BOWL and set the ALL-TIME NFL record for most kickoff touchbacks in a season.
- Missed a 32 yard FG in the AFC championship game....

I think you get the point. You've seen the posters and you've heard the cliches - "Never give up!", "It is not about how many times you get knocked down, it is about how many times you get up.", "Set your goals high and don't stop till you get there",etc.

In addition to being a great human being, father, husband, and a friend, Billy is one tough mother f*#ker who refuses to give up or lose confidence in himself when he faces a setback. He is the guy who personifies those sports cliches that we have been hearing our whole lives. Anyone who met him can attest to his humble nature and his relentless pursuit of perfection.

I hope you all stay tuned in. Because this story will not end with a missed 32-yard field goal......


Filip Filipovic
TheKickingCoach.com

The Kicking Coach Staff member will play in the Superbowl !

When New England Patriots face Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship on Sunday, January 22nd, two members of The Kicking Coach Staff will face each other. Neither New England Patriots' punter Zoltan Mesko or Baltimore Ravens' kicker Billy Cundiff have ever played in a Superbowl. It looks like that will not be the case after this week.

Both Billy and Zoltan are featured in this promotional video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6E3rf2kYnY&feature=related

Check it out.

Filip Filipovic
TheKickingCoach.com