Louisville ended last year with one of the best kicking games in the country while also being one of the worst punting units in all of college football. At this point, one could argue that the goal this season is to just have a kicking game that can get the bare minimum done. The staff was tasked with replacing the starters at both kicking positions, and at this point in fall camp, I’m not sure they are satisfied with the choices they have in the kicking game.
The only returner on the team who kicked last year is Nick Keller, and he is the likely frontrunner to take over the positions. Keller hit on half of his kicks last season as the long field goal option as well as the kickoff specialist. Keller has a massive leg, which brings real value to the team, but his accuracy is a real issue as well. If he can be more consistent with his kicks, he should be fine.
Garth White appears to be the challenger for the kicker spot, with a real chance to win the job. White has been consistent with his short kicks when fans and media have been able to check out practice, but he didn’t connect on the longer kicks in our limited time seeing him. White finished last season 14-for-18 on kicks, with a long of 54 yards as well as a 52-yarder. If there is a position where a step up in competition should be smooth, it’s at kicker.
While field goals have a clear path to being a solid position, there is not a punter on the roster right now who has shown promise to be an asset to the team. Jeff Brohm’s first press conference this fall was a clear message about his feelings about the kicking game. That same message continued to be repeated by media who attended practice, as well as by my own eyes.
The entire punting operation appeared to be broken a couple of weeks into fall practice. Snaps were bad; punters had trouble handling snaps; punts either didn’t have enough hang time, or they didn’t have enough distance. The only punt I saw that looked the part took so long to get off that I think the punter would have been tackled by the rush. The good thing is that the staff has time to address the issue. Personnel is what it is, but I was impressed by the improvised competitions the staff put on during camp. Putting these guys in tough spots each day should help to find the right guys for the job.
While the kicking game had some issues last year, the Cards had no issues returning kicks and punts. Caullin Lacy was one of the top return men in the country with two punt returns for touchdowns and a solid kick return average. While Lacy was very skilled, he also enjoyed lots of running room due to good blocks and a great scheme to get him into the open field. Karl Maslowski has become one of the best special teams coaches in the ACC, and he has real options to change games in the return game.
Tre Richardson averaged 25 yards per kick return last year, so he is probably the best option to take over this season. However, Richardson will have a key role on offense, and Jeff Brohm may want to protect him. If that is the case, I expect Braxton Jennings, Lawayne McCoy, Keyjuan Brown, and possibly Jordan Vann to be options as returners.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE
While I think Keller has the inside track to land the kicking job, I think that Garth White could end up being the option on shorter kicks as well as potentially being the starting punter. White participated in punting drills in one of the open practices I was able to attend, and I truly think he could be the best option because of his experience as a starting kicker. The roster does not have an experienced punter, and the allure of having a guy who can handle the moment could push him over the edge.