Whittingham: Kicking Competition Still ‘Unresolved’

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – After two weeks of fall camp for the University of Utah, the football program is in the middle of unfamiliar territory regarding their kicking game.

The starting punter is set with Ben Lennon, but the place kicking job is still up for grabs between three players.

“It’s still going,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said after day 8 of fall camp. “It’s unresolved. It is as unresolved now as it was in day one, but we still have nearly three weeks to go, no panic is setting in yet, but we are just waiting for separation and so far no one has separated themselves.”

The three players competing for the starting place kicker is freshman Jaydon Redding, senior Andrew Strauch and junior Nels Haltom.

What Kickers Are Going Through

Former Utah All-American kicker Andy Phillips knows exactly what the kickers are going through during the grind of fall camp. He joined the Crimson Corner podcast with an in-depth look at the process to finding the next kicker at Utah.

“It’s a competition,” Phillips said. “You have BYU looming and you want to separate yourself. The first week, the guys come out on fire, they are probably kicking 100-plus balls per day, trying to prove that they are the guy.”

It’s a fast paced first week of camp according to Phillips with the percentage of makes on field goals very high.

“The first week of fall camp is usually walking through the steps with the long snapper, the holder and the kicker,” Phillips said. “Then they will bring in the blocking scheme with the offensive line and tight ends. Each kicker will kick 10 times. Then you put the pads on and they starting giving you a one-step rush or a three-step rush, and that’s what is going on this week.”

But, the second week is a whole different story.

“There is probably a little more pressure on them this week (second week),” Phillips stated. “They are starting to feel the heat and they go 30 percent (makes) and line driving kicks into the back of the offensive line. They have to figure something out.”

Unfamiliar Territory

Kyle Whittingham and the Utes have benefited from great kickers in the last six seasons with both Phillips and Matt Gay as some of the best kickers in college football. So, the offense has always had confidence when they haven’t been able to convert a third and long situation in field goal range.

“Tyler Huntley has never had to play a snap, where he hasn’t had somebody on third and long and knows that the kicker can come out and put the ball through the uprights,” Phillips mentioned. “It’s a limbo state that I think the program hasn’t been in for a long time, but knowing coach Whittingham, I know the special teams will get as right as they can before August 29th.”

Whittingham has three weeks to find his next kicker. But, it sounds like they will not be the next Matt Gay or Andy Phillips.