Muncie is home to the freakiest kicker in college football. Ball State kicker Brody Boehm recently found himself thrust into the national spotlight with his inclusion in The Athletic's annual "Freaks List" by Bruce Feldman, which highlights the best "freak" athletes across all of college football. This year's edition of the list featured 101 players, and Boehm was No. 101, the only kicker on the list and one of two special teamers (along with Michigan long snapper Gavin Magorien). According to Feldman's article, the 6-foot-1, 208-pound Boehm has a 41-inch vertical and 10-0 foot broad jump. He scored a nearly perfect 20 on Ball State's Functional Movement Screen and has a leg that can hit field goals from 60 yards out. "I think it's really cool," Boehm said. "It's a blessing to be on that list, and I'm really grateful. Now I've got the eyes on me, it's all about what I do going forward. It's an honor to be on that list." Why does Boehm think he was selected to the list? "If I had to guess, it's probably just a kicker having a 41-inch vertical," Boehm hypothesized. "I feel like that could be a little rare." Boehm brought his athleticism to different areas of the field growing up as a position player before becoming a standout kicker and punter at nearby Westfield High School. Even then, Boehm made some plays with the ball in his hands via fakes and even scored a rushing touchdown his senior year. His collegiate career initially took him to Missouri, but he entered the transfer portal after a year and landed closer to home at Ball State. Boehm did not play his first year on campus due to injury. With last year's kickers Carson Holmer and DC Pippen both now graduated though, the opportunity is there for Boehm to take over as the starting kicker. "I think it's a heck of an opportunity, and I'm confident in my preparation," Boehm said. "I am confident in my performance throughout fall camp, and I'm looking forward to proving myself this season." When it comes to football players, kickers are rarely the ones that scream "athlete." The job seems pretty one dimensional on the surface, and when compared to the physicality of other positions, great athleticism may not seem like as much of a requirement. But Ball State special teams coach Nick Fiacable has seen firsthand how much Boehm's athleticism elevates his kicking game. "I think when you're a great athlete like he is, you have a lot of strength, and you see that when he kicks ... some of his kicks are really, really impressive, and that helps on some kickoffs too," Fiacable said. "He was a multi-sport kid in high school and growing up. Kicking was his way to get into the college game, and you see some of those attributes that he had growing up that show up here as well." Boehm draws inspiration from his older brother, Ben "Ironman" Boehm, who also earned a shoutout in the Freaks List. "Ironman" is a powerlifter who won a gold medal at the 2025 Special Olympics World Championships in Romania. The Boehm brothers have trained together with Kyle Moran of Moran Academy for Strength and Speed in Carmel since 2020, and Ben's competitiveness has always rubbed off on Brody. "He's just a competitor man," Brody Boehm said. "He loves to compete, he's strong as a bull. That kid, he inspires me in ways that no one could ever imagine." The special teams room as a whole has a high level of continuity compared to Ball State's other position groups. Punter Cole Stumbaugh is also back on the roster, as are both long snappers in Caden Britton and Coby Tripp. The two new faces in the room are both fellow legs — kicker Hudson Fiene, a summertime transfer from Monmouth, and punter Lachlan Mathieson, a true freshman who trained at a kicking academy in Melbourne, Australia. The six players have become very close throughout the offseason, even with Fiene and Mathieson joining the team much later. "This is the best bond in a special teams room that I've ever had," Boehm said. "We've got a really tight-knit group. Everyone loves each other. Everyone knows that now is the time to compete, but at the same time, you can still be friends. We've got good chemistry this year."
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Meet Ball State football's "freaky" kicker Brody Boehm