W
Wes Mitchell
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South Carolina landed a pledge from top punter prospect Kai Kroeger on Tuesday as he completed an unofficial visit to the school. While the offer to Kroeger earlier this summer may have come as a bit of a surprise, here's a look at why taking Kroeger makes a lot of sense.
** Joseph Charlton is in his last season at South Carolina and the senior will of course need to be replaced for the 2020 season when Kroeger arrives in Columbia. Charlton, an All-SEC caliber punter, has shown how important that position can be for field position and while the Gamecocks are rarely going to be able to outrecruit the elite teams in the conference at every position, finding a potential edge on special teams can help bridge the gap in close games.
** He's one of the top punters in the country. Kohl's Kicking, long known as the top service for evaluation of kickers and punters in the country, ranks Kroeger as the No. 2 punter in the class of 2020.
Whether you bring in several walk-ons and let them battle for the top spot or offer a high school prospect, you're probably going to end up spending a scholarship on a punter either way, so with the need at the position next year, it makes sense to go ahead and land one of the top guys in the country and have that box checked off. It's worth pointing out that it's a lot easier to project a punter to the next level than it is a kicker since place-kicking is so much more about mental makeup than being a punter is.
Koh'l's Kicking on Kroeger: Kroeger is a long-time Kohl's camper who showed well again this spring at the Kohl's Midwest Showcase Camp. He won the punt competition on the cold day by hitting a ball that went over 60 yards from the L.O.S.. Kroeger is also very good at rolling out and hitting punts. He is prototypical size and hits the most consistent spiral in the country. He checks off a lot of boxes with regards to work ethic and composure under pressure. He may be the most game ready player in the 2020 class. Kroeger is a D1 scholarship punter!
As a junior, Kroeger averaged 40.3 yards per punt and downed 17 punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line. At 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, Kroeger appears to have a big, projectable frame that should allow him to pack on muscle and only get stronger.
** He's a lefty. There's a reason that Bill Belichick has trotted out nothing but lefty punters for the last two decades. Belichick apparently won't talk about his preference for left-footers, but the prevailing theory is that the reverse spin makes it tougher for punt returners - used to catching punts from righties - to track and catch the ball. Who can tell whether it makes a huge difference, but even if it leads to just one or two extra possessions in Kroeger's career, then it's an advantage worth having.
** Joseph Charlton is in his last season at South Carolina and the senior will of course need to be replaced for the 2020 season when Kroeger arrives in Columbia. Charlton, an All-SEC caliber punter, has shown how important that position can be for field position and while the Gamecocks are rarely going to be able to outrecruit the elite teams in the conference at every position, finding a potential edge on special teams can help bridge the gap in close games.
** He's one of the top punters in the country. Kohl's Kicking, long known as the top service for evaluation of kickers and punters in the country, ranks Kroeger as the No. 2 punter in the class of 2020.
Whether you bring in several walk-ons and let them battle for the top spot or offer a high school prospect, you're probably going to end up spending a scholarship on a punter either way, so with the need at the position next year, it makes sense to go ahead and land one of the top guys in the country and have that box checked off. It's worth pointing out that it's a lot easier to project a punter to the next level than it is a kicker since place-kicking is so much more about mental makeup than being a punter is.
Koh'l's Kicking on Kroeger: Kroeger is a long-time Kohl's camper who showed well again this spring at the Kohl's Midwest Showcase Camp. He won the punt competition on the cold day by hitting a ball that went over 60 yards from the L.O.S.. Kroeger is also very good at rolling out and hitting punts. He is prototypical size and hits the most consistent spiral in the country. He checks off a lot of boxes with regards to work ethic and composure under pressure. He may be the most game ready player in the 2020 class. Kroeger is a D1 scholarship punter!
As a junior, Kroeger averaged 40.3 yards per punt and downed 17 punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line. At 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, Kroeger appears to have a big, projectable frame that should allow him to pack on muscle and only get stronger.
** He's a lefty. There's a reason that Bill Belichick has trotted out nothing but lefty punters for the last two decades. Belichick apparently won't talk about his preference for left-footers, but the prevailing theory is that the reverse spin makes it tougher for punt returners - used to catching punts from righties - to track and catch the ball. Who can tell whether it makes a huge difference, but even if it leads to just one or two extra possessions in Kroeger's career, then it's an advantage worth having.
