Simple Kicking

Pressley Harvin III is currently one of the top punting prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft. He is the former punter for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He finished atop the NCAA for gross punting (minimum 20 punts). He was named the winner of the 2020 Ray Guy Award, an annual award given to college football’s top punter.

Here is the most impressive thing about Harvin’s season. According to the Simple Kicking Punting Index he is the most improved punter in college football from 2019 to 2020. He improved 16.6% in a single year.

On 45 punts he averaged 48 yards per punt and net 44.8 yards. His 2020 season ranked 12th best since 2013: here are the others on his list:

1) Mitch Wishnowsky, University of Utah, San Francisco 49ers

2) Michael Dickson, University of Texas, Seattle Seahwaks (also holds #10)

3) Max Duffy, University of Kentucky, 2021 NFL Draft Prospect

4) Dane Roy, University of Houston, NFL Free Agent

5) Braden Mann, Texas A&M, New York Jets

6) Tom Hackett, University of Utah (also holds #7)

7) Jimmy Smith, University of Cincinnati, NFL Free Agent

8) Cameron Johnston, Ohio State University, Philadelphia Eagles

9) Tyson Dyer, University of New Mexico

11 Joseph Charlton, University of South Carolina, Atlanta Falcons

The two other finalists in 2020 Ray Guy Award were Jake Camarda (University of Georgia Bulldogs) and Lou Hedley (University of Miami.)

Harvin made his way to Atlanta after graduating from Sumter High School in Alcolu, South Carolina. Thanks to Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker, there is a game called Punt Golf which started under kicking Coach Joe Struniolo at Westminster in Atlanta. Harvin loves to play Punt Golf, playing his saxophone, and working on his Dodge Dart.

In Harvin’s free time he loves retrofitting cars, with dreams of opening his own custom car shop one day. And one more fun fact, he loves to play the saxophone.

Harvin has aspirations to play in the NFL, and this episode covers topics of growth in college. His freshman year he was named All-ACC which was the first time a Georgia Tech freshman had received the honor other than Calvin Johnson. Harvin shared how he experienced the most improvement in 2020 again which was 16.6% year over year. Also he named to the all ACC team in a year when ACC punting talent was stacked with Lou Hedley, (University of Miami Hurricanes ) and Kirk Christodoulo (Pitt Panthers) Ben Kiernan (University of North Carolina Tarheels) and Porter Wilson (Duke University Blue D) This was his second naming to the All-ACC team. Additionally, in 2020 Harvin was named first team all American according to the AP.

Cade York is the field goal kicker for Louisiana State University (LSU), and Will Reichard is the kicker for the University of Alabama. Both represent the finest kicking talent in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are considered two of the best kickers in college football.

In 2020 the SEC was stacked with talented kickers. York was named 1st Team All-SEC and Anders Carlson (Auburn University) was named 2nd Team All-SEC, and Harrison Mevis (Mizzou) was named 1st Team Freshman All-SEC. Reichard was left out, but so was Evan McPherson (University of Florida) and Jack Podlesny (University of Georgia.)

Both York and Reichard were named semi-finalists for the 2020 Lou Groza Award which is an annual award given to college football’s top kicker. Reichard was named one of three Lou Groza Finalists with Jake Oldroyd (Brigham Young University) and the 2020 Lou Groza Award winner, Jose Borregales (University of Miami.)

How does the Simple Kicking Index rank Cade and Will?

Let’s start with the Reichard, who was the kicker for the 2021 CFP National Champions. Reichard had a breakout season in 2020 after an injury-plagued 2019 . He made 14/14 Field Goals with a Long of 52, and 84/84 PATs. A 100% season on field goals and extra points. Based on the distances of his kicks, the Simple Kicking Index determined that Reichard performed 12.65 points above expected which ranks 3rd overall.

York, who was the kicker for the 2020 CFP National Champions ranked #2 overall. He made 18/21 field goals, including 6/7 from 50+. The Simple Kicking Index determined that York performed 13.86 points above expected.

The Simple Kicking Kicker of the year was Jose Borregales who kicked 14.76 points better than expected.

How does this compare to the previous 4 seasons? Both were in the top 20. Cade ranks #10, and Will ranks #17. Other kickers who are on the list are:

Riley Patterson, University of Memphis, NFL Free Agent

Matt Gay, University of Utah, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams (he made the list twice!)

Cole Tracy, LSU, NFL Free Agent

Sam Sloman, Miami University (Ohio), Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans

Andre Szmyt, Syracuse University

Jose Borregales, University of Miami, Florida International University

Tyler Bass, Georgia Southern, Buffalo Bills

Keith Duncan, University of Iowa, NFL Free Agent

Nick Sciba, Wake Forest University

Gabe Brkic, University of Oklahoma

Rodrigo Blankenship, University of Georgia, Indianapolis Colts

Jonathan Song, TCU, NFL Free Agent

Dominik Eberle, Utah State, Las Vegas Raiders

Cade York was a key asset to the LSU Tigers National Championship team led by Coach Ed Orgeron, and he improved in 2020. York was 7.63 points better than expected in 2019 making 21/26 field goals. He improved by 6.21 point year over year. This is like saying Michael Jordan averaged 30 points one season, and 35 points the next season. Both are really good, but he continues to improve.

Reichard was hurt in 2019 and bounced back in 2020. But resilience is nothing new to Reichard. During his career at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama he suffered a torn ACL. He bounced back then earned a scholarship offer to the University of Alabama and started school shortly in January 2019.

This episode covers what it is like to get recruited as a kicker. Reichard and York were both highly ranked in high school. In fact, York who graduated from Prosper High School in Prosper, TX, kicked a 59 yard field goal in the Under Armour All-America Game. Also, we cover how Coach Nick Saban and Coach Jeff Banks recruited Reichard out of Hoover.

They explain how they got their college scholarships, what it is like winning a national championship, and how they feel playing in a game like LSU vs. Alabama every year. York recalls his 57 yard game winner against the University of Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the fog.

Joe Sturniolo is an Assistant Coach for the Westminster Wildcats in Atlanta, Georgia who spends his time and energy entirely on kickers, punters, and long snappers. This is a rarity because the vast majority, an estimated 0.31% of high school teams have a devoted coach for teaching specialists. This episode of the Simple Kicking Show explores the story behind how it happened, and the tools in the toolbox that have been most helpful for Coach Sturno and the kickers. This kind of story is the type that gets Pat Mcafee excited. In fact, it did in the early 2000s when he and Sturno crossed paths. (That story, too is discussed on this episode.)

An additional example of Westminster’s rarity is how the program is a talent hotbed for kickers. Coach Sturno has produced a dozen Division 1 and/or NFL kickers over the past 20 years, which has effectively coined the name for Westminster as “Kicker U.”

Led by head coach Gerry Romberg, the program emphasizes special teams and dedicates sufficient resources to plays that take place on 4th down. The kickers and punters work hard, based on the natural athletic abilities that come with them, but Coach Sturno’s passion has contributed to the longevity of “Kicker U.” Here are the most notable names that have come through the program:

Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs Kicker (Georgia Tech), Blake Gillikin, New Orleans Saints Punter (Penn State), Alex Gracey, Stanford Punter, Charlie Ham, Duke Kicker, Connor Weselman, Stanford Punter Commit, and one of the nation’s top punting recruits in Alex Bacchetta.

Other collegiate kickers and or punters who played under him: Avery Bass, Illinois, Felipe Villahoz, North Carolina, Patrick Knight, All-American Punter at Rhodes College, and many others to come.

Kickers and punters are athletes. The inaugural episode of the Simple Kicking Show featured Tyler Brown, who is the Special Teams graduate assistant at the University of Michigan. Tyler, who is the son of Baltimore Ravens Special Teams Coach Randy Brown, shared that some of the best athletes have chosen to become kickers.

You can find that episode here:

https://youtu.be/yU51BxMCM88

Sturno agrees with Brown that kickers are athletes. An example he gives is on Harrison Butker who he believes could have been a wide receiver in high school, or how Rankin Woley who played baseball at LSU and Auburn, could have been an incredible punter. This episode is for high school coaches who understand athletes, but who may not grasp kicking because here is the good news, neither did Sturniolo when he started 20 years ago.

Sturniolo was the head statistician for the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia Tech Football shortly before he became an assistant coach at Westminster. This involved work with the Southeastern Conference and the Sugar Bowl when it was forced to be moved due to Hurricane Katrina to the Georgia Dome in the early 2006. Sturno attributes his knowledge to learning from books, DVDs, YouTube videos, clinics and crossing paths with Matt Bryant, long time kicker for the Atlanta Falcons.

As kickers are frequently left to the side, Coach Sturno saw an opportunity to develop them. He disagrees that “practice makes perfect”; instead, he sees that developing good habits leads to better on the field performance in games which is his goal as a guide to the players, otherwise a coaching absence creates a vacuum that actually causes bad habits to solidify.

If you are a high school kicking recruit, a high school head football coach, then this episode is for you to explore ways to improve your own team based on Coach Sturno’s experience.

Michael Turk is the punter for Arizona State University, and Zach Von Rosenberg is the former punter for the LSU Tigers. Both are leading punters in their conference. In 2020 Turk was named 1st Team All Pac-12, and Von Rosenberg was named 2nd Team All-SEC. Both were named semi-finalists for the 2019 or 2020 Ray Guy Award, an annual award given to college football’s top punter.

Michael and Zach have each become top NFL punting prospects in NCAA Football.

In 2019 Turk had a breakout season. He averaged 46 yards per punt and scored a 97.2 Simple Kicking Punting Rating (SKPR), which ranks 20th best in the past 8 years of tracking college football punting data. Secondly, 2019 had some incredible talent in punting: Max Duffy, Kentucky, 2019 Ray Guy Winner, and Jack Fox, Rice University, and current punter for the Detroit Lions, both of which are Simple Kicking’s own. Additionally, there was Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse, and current punter for the Atlanta Falcons, Joseph Charlton, South Carolina, and current punter for the Carolina Panthers, and Tommy Townsend, University of Florida, and current punter for the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 2019 Von Rosenberg was a key asset the to the LSU Tiger 2020 Von Rosenberg had a breakout season improving 6.91% year-over-year on the SKPR. He averaged 43.95 yards per punt, 42.0 net, and scored a 96.6 Simple Kicking Punting Rating which ranked him 9th overall in 2020. 2020 was another strong year in punting with Pressley Harvin III (Georgia Tech) winning the Ray Guy Award. Plus, Zach finished with 1.0% of the following: Jake Camarda (Georgia), Lou Hedley (Miami), Jake Julien (Eastern Michigan), Kirk Christodoulou (PITT), Jacob Finn (Florida), and Tory Taylor (Iowa).

Both have earned all-conference Player of the Week or other awards. Michael Turk was named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week after he averaged 51.6 yards per punt at USC. Von Rosenberg was named Ray Guy Punter of the Week after he averaged 48.9 yards per punt at Arkansas.

A few years ago both Turk and Von Rosenberg were not punting. Zach was a pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system then got cut. Subsequently, he walked on to the LSU team as a tight end, while Turk was not playing high school football at all.

Again, they are now both incredibly talented punters with dreams on the highest levels in the sport!

Most families in America throw the pigskin around on Thanksgiving, but the Turk family is at games punting in the parking lot. He comes from a family where punting his fairly common; his uncle Matt spent more than a decade and a half in the NFL playing for the Washington Redskins (now known as Washington Football Team.) His brother Ben Turk punted for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the early 2010s.

Beginning his collegiate career as a Lafayette Leopard, he played his first career game. Not playing a single game of high school football, Turk has made remarkable progress. So after the 2019 season he declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. His progress shined off the field in the weight room where he posted 25 reps of 225 pounds on the benchpress. Again, remarkable.

The progress continued in 2020. Although playing an abbreviated season with fewer reps, Turk blasted the ball averaging 47.21 yards per punt. This ranked 2nd in college football behind Harvin. Turk was named first team Pac-12 in 2020 for the second consecutive season.

Von Rosenberg grew up in Louisiana, graduated from Zachary High School, and signed with the Pirates out of high school. After being cut Von Rosenberg enrolled at LSU where he decided to walk on for the football team. At one point he was the oldest player in college football.

This episode covers the improbabilities of becoming one of the nation’s top punters. If you enjoyed this episode you might like the Aussie Roundtable as well.

Elliott Fry most recently played for the Atlanta Falcons and signed a future’s contract with the NFC South club in 2020.

He kicked at the University of South Carolina where he is the all-time leader in points scored. His dream is to be one of the 32 starting kickers in the NFL, a dream he has tasted, but not yet fulfilled. Here’s why.

Fry’s story manifests the words of NFL Super Agent Leigh Steinberg, who joined the Simple Kicking Show in 2020. Steinberg, who represents Patrick Mahomes (Quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs), said that kickers face difficulties because they are no backups, in his words there is a void of the experience of a “tutelage like a back-up quarterback experiences”. This means NFL free agent kickers lack a kind of mentorship to learn the ropes while still being employed.

Fry’s entry into the NFL world of starting specialists has been rocky. He has made stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, and Baltimore Ravens.

He even made a spot with the Alliance of American Football with the Orlando Apollos, playing for his college head coach, Steve Spurrier.

His tenure with the Chicago Bears presented the best timing of his career. The Bears were the hottest name in the NFL for kicking mainly because of one season ending kick. The Bears cut Cody Parkey (who is the current kicker for the Cleveland Browns) for missing a 43 yard field goal attempt from the right hash vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. It will be known in perpetuity as the “double doink.” Fry finished in the top two after competing with nearly a dozen Free Agents. Coming down to a few kicks at Bears training camp in Bourbannais, Illinois the Bears decided to waive Fry and select Eddy Piñiero.

His pursuit of the NFL did not slow down. The Carolina Panthers brought him in for offseason workouts, then was subsequently cut. He then made a second stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during 2020 NFL training camp.

After 4 or 5 weeks off, a 2020 NFL roster spot for the Atlanta Falcons opened up. Fry was called in and competed to fill in for Younghoe Koo, who suffered a groin injury. Less than 4 days later Fry split the yellow pipes on Monday Night Football vs. the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

After, Koo was reactivated and Fry was designated to the practice squad, finishing the season earning a future’s contract.

Despite the unpaved road, Fry continues to work on his craft, aiming to be a starting kicker in the NFL.

This episode of the Simple Kicking show expands Fry’s drive, and how he continues to take small incremental steps to achieve his goal. He talks about lessons learned from Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, and Morgan Cox. The trio is known as the Wolfpack on the Baltimore Ravens coached by Mayor Randy Brown. He shares the journey of working with Chicago Bears Special Teams Pat O’Donnell, Pat Scales, and Special Teams Coordinator Chris Tabor. As he continues trudging the road, it is clear that his knowledge, wisdom and experience has helped him earn the belonging in the NFL that is required to convert kicks, not just talk about it.

The Aussie Roundtable features two of college football’s best punters. Max Duffy is the punter for the Kentucky Wildcats, and Lou Hedley is the punter for the Miami Hurricanes. Both are statistically in the NCAA Top 10 for gross punting, Hedley averages 47.5 yards (4th), and Duffy is averaging 45.8 yards (9th). Both were named semi-finalists for the 2020 Ray Guy Award, an annual award given to college football’s top punter.

Duffy is the reigning Recipient of the Ray Guy Award. The two other finalists in 2019 were Dane Roy (University of Houston Cougars) and Sterling Hofrichter (Syracuse Orange.) (Fun fact: Hofrichter is the current punter for the Atlanta Falcons averaging 41.6 yards through 8 games of the 2020 NFL Season, and holding peaches for Younghoe Koo, who is dominating his first season with the Falcons.) Back to Duffy, he is a former pro in the Australian Rules Football league.

Hedley is averaging 47.5 yards per punt this season which is nearly an 8% increase in distance over his first season with the Hurricanes. He is also the holder for Jose Borregales who was recently named Lou Groza Semifinalist, which is awarded to college football’s best place kicker. (The only other placekicker-punter duo to be named the same awards is Jake Camarda and Jack Podlesny of the University of Georgia.) Lou made his way to Coral Gables by way of the City College of San Francisco where he played JUCO.

Let’s talk more about awards. Hedley has been named ACC Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season. Punting in a conference where Pressley Harvin III (Georgia Tech) is having a breakout season averaging 47.65 yards per punt, Hedley has received the award after standing out in victories over Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh, games in which he averaged over 50 yard per punt. Duffy was named SEC Special Teams Player of the week for his performance vs. Mississippi State after having a game where he averaged nearly 45 years per punt. Digging deeper, he fired a moon rocket 75 yards on a free kicker after a safety which was really impressive pinning Mike Leach’s offense on their own 16.

Both have aspirations to play in the NFL, and this roundtable episode covers topics of growth in college. Hedley shares how he has matured, becoming more familiar with the game which have allowed him to increase his gross yardage nearly 8% year over year. Duffey who is studying for his masters in Psychology shares insight on his mental game. The two punters are also good friends who help one another. Their friendship spans back to Prokick Australia where Nathan Chapman develops punters who play college football in America.

Duffy drew insight from listening to the Podcast with Thomas Morstead, who is the punter for the New Orleans saints. You can find that episode here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWIIAxJ_48k

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/28yUdlW2w3LYuJtRtUCeOr?si=R3VdTcUJRUGLv9BuFaYqQg

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-kicking/id1521447540?i=1000499982952

Google Play: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-fox-nfl-punter-detroit-lions/id1521447540?i=1000499982952

The network of kickers and punters is small, and Duffy shares how he and Keith Duncan are friends. Duncan is the kicker for the Iowa Hawkeyes who was named a 2019 Lou Groza Finalist. He stopped by the Special Teams Lounge with Jake Pinegar, who is the kicker for the Penn State Nittany Lions. You can hear that episode here:

Also, the conversation brought up fellow Aussie Punters: Brad Wing, LSU, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jamie Keehn, LSU.

And finally, if you would like to nerd out more on punting you can hear the podcast with his Jack Fox, who is leading the NFL in Gross Distance and Net Average through 11 Weeks of the 2020 season as a Rookie for the Detroit Lions.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/RvBBHHQBsmU

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/416tHR6qAHRvHjdItgGuyJ?si=MhGUtJO4QberGrjepqwsbQ

Matt Prater is the Detroit Lions field goal kicker. The 2020 NFL Season has been eventful for him. Although statistically there are a handful of missed kicks he wishes he could have back, Prater has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season (Weeks 3 and 11.) Showing his resilience, Prater made 3-of-3 field goal attempts versus the Washington Football Team. He also smashed the game-winner from 59-yards in Week 11.

Additionally, he won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week versus the Arizona Cardinals for making 4-of-4 field goals attempts in Week 3. He split the yellow pipes for the game-winner from 39 yards on the road giving the Lions their first victory of the 2020 season. This made Matthew Stafford very happy.

He has played for the Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos in his NFL Career. He set an NFL record for the longest field goal in a game which was 64 yards as a member of the Denver Broncos versus the Tennessee Titans.

Prater was an undrafted free agent for the Detroit Lions in 2006 out of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, FL. He then bounced around practice squads with the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons, becoming the starter for the Broncos in 2008.

This episode covers his mindset and approach to kicking. He shares stories of his most memorable kick versus the Chicago Bears, and how he maintains a simple demeanor in his decade plus career where he has converted 22-of-22 game winning kicks.

You can hear the podcast with his Teammate, Jack Fox, who is leading the NFL in Gross Distance and Net Average through 11 Weeks of the 2020 NFL season as a Rookie.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/RvBBHHQBsmU

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/416tHR6qAHRvHjdItgGuyJ?si=MhGUtJO4QberGrjepqwsbQ

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-kicking/id1521447540?i=1000499982952

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/simplekicking/jack-fox-nfl-punter-detroit-lions

Jack Fox is the Rookie punter for the Detroit Lions. As of Week 11 in the 2020 season, Fox is currently leading the National Football League (NFL) in punting average gross distance, punting average net distance, and punts over 5.0 seconds of hang time. He also serves as kickoff specialist, and holds on field goals and extra points for Matt Prater.

He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September.

Fox was an undrafted rookie free agent for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 from Rice University. The Chiefs signed Jack fox to the Practice Squad. Unfortunately, he did not stay on long enough to receive a Super Bowl LIV ring. Playing with NFL Veterans Dustin Colquitt and Harrison Butker, Jack improved his footwork, hand to foot operation time, becoming more consistent. However, he was cut and deemed not ready to play during the 2019 season.

In early 2020, the Detroit Lions signed Fox, although he was under contract with an XFL squad. Fox won the starting punter job over Arryn Siposs in Training Camp 2020.

In this episode of the Special Teams Lounge, Jack looks back at his first 10 games as an NFL Specialist, and how his simple mindset has him nationally recognized as a league leader.

Fox’s punting statistics are unheard of for a Rookie Punter. He is averaging 50.6 yards per punt, 46.3 net yards per punt, 17 punts inside the 20, and over 10 punts clocked over 5.0 seconds of hang time.

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Humans like Thomas Morstead are rare. He is the current Punter for the New Orleans Saints. He has many roles on the team; team captain, holder for Wil Lutz' extra points and field goals, onside kick specialist, and a "big brother" to many of his teammates because he is the second oldest player on the roster behind Drew Brees!

Morstead was a 5th round draft choice for the New Orleans Saints in 2009 from Southern Methodist University (SMU). This is rare for two reasons: 1) punters aren't typically drafted, and 2) punters aren't typically drafted early! Finding out in the Podcast, Morstead received an academic scholarship for mechanical engineering at the Lyle School of Engineering.

The consistency of his career is another rare attribute of Morstead. He has missed 2 games (injury during 2015 season) over the last 12 seasons. Staying healthy, maintaining form, and constantly performing, Morstead has had an illustrious stint as one of the best NFL punters to ever play the game.

Put it this way, there have been 108 teams who have played in the Super Bowl, and 54 of them are Champions. Historically, in the history of the Super Bowl game have punter also kicked an onside kick, an onside kick that was successful? I believe there is only one, and that is Thomas Morstead.

You can hear the story of the Super Bowl XLIV "Ambush" onside kick from John Carney here:

Youtube: https://youtu.be/IpdNN5FAXOc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vqUZ2o0qylla5J7sV7TTw?si=F0bVu-JAQiOyK4JUjcmV0w

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-kicking/id1521447540?i=1000487772542

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/simplekicking/episode-7-john-carney-nfl-kicker-san-diego-chargers-super-bowl-xliv-kicker-training-pro-bowl

Morstead’s punting statistics are remarkable. 71.5% of his punts (63 punts) from the plus area of the field (Scoring side of the field) have been downed inside the 20. Also, 176 of his career punts from the 21-50 yardline have also been downed inside the 20 yardline representing a 39.8% IN20 percentage. That means his defense takes over with a lot of green grass behind it.

Continuing with his rarity, Morstead is an author.

A Pearland, TX native, Morstead co-authored a children's sports book called "The Middle School Rules of Thomas Morstead" with Sean Jensen. The book can be purchased online or in a Target store.

Thomas and his wife, Lauren, have a foundation named, What You Give Will Grow (WYGWG), which according to the foundation's website: "The mission of What You Give Will Grow is to improve the lives of those in need through support of local causes and organizations in the New Orleans and Gulf South communities, with a strong focus on children’s charities and cancer initiatives." Please order the book as proceeds from the sales of the book benefit WYGWG.

Finally, Thomas Morstead has given of his time and energy helping other kickers and punters to grow in their craft. Currently the New Orleans Saints have a practice squad punter named Blake Gillikin from Penn State. Also, he attends Kohl's Kicking Camps annually coaching up campers.

Over a four-decade career as an NFL agent, Mr. Steinberg has negotiated over $4 billion in contracts. He has an NFL Record 8-time 1st Overall Draft Picks, and 64 total First Round Draft Picks.

He shares the similar mindsets that all of the elite athletes have: a quiet mind.

Check out the podcast! Youtube Link Below, but can be found anywhere Podcasts are heard.

https://youtu.be/y-UmbBuu7DU

Leigh Steinberg is the CEO of Steinberg Sports and Entertainment. (SS&E.) He represents primarily NFL players; however he has represented other sports areas well. His bio on his website states: “Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, golf, etc.”

Over a four decade career as an NFL agent, Leigh has negotiated over $4 billion in contracts. He has an NFL Record 8 time NFL Draft 1st Overall Picks, and 64 total First Round Picks. Additionally, he and is clients have donated over $850M to charities. His clients are:

Patrick Mahomes II - Quarterback (Kansas City Chiefs, Texas Tech University, Whitehouse High School) Super Bowl MVP of Super Bowl LIV

Troy Aikman - Quarterback (Dallas Cowboys, UCLA, University of Oklahoma) Currently FOX Sports lead game analyst

Steve Bartkowski - Quarterback (Los Angeles Rams, Cal, Santa Clara Buscher)

Steve Young - Quarterback (San Francisco 49ers, BYU, Greenwich High School)

Tua Tagovailoa - Quarterback (Miami Dolphins, Alabama, Saint Louis School)

Ben Roethlisberger - Quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers, University of Miami, Ohio)

Others such as Bruce Smith, Warren Moon, Thurman Thomas, Kordell Stweart, Jeff George, Myron Rolle, Matt Leinart, Mark Brunnell, Ricky Williams, Howie Long, Edgerrin James, Eric Karros, Dusty Baker, Lennox Lewis, Oscar de la Hoya, John Starks

This episode covers major topics surrounding kicking and punting in the NFL from how to endure entering the NFL as a specialist, for example kickers and punters are cut from multiple teams before landing on a roster. Mr. Steinberg shares what attracted him to representing specialists such as:

Rolfe Benirschke - Kicker (San Diego Chargers, University of California, Davis, La Jolla High School)

Mike Lansford - Kicker (Los Angeles Rams, University of Washington, Pasadena City College, Arcadia High School)

Chuck Nelson - Kicker (Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, University of Washington, Everett High School)

Nick Lowery - Kicker (Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Dartmouth College, St. Albans School)

Gary Anderson - Kicker (Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Syracuse)

Lee Johnston - Punter (Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, BYU, McCullough (The Woodlands, TX))

Jim Arnold - Punter (Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Vanderbilt, Dalton High School)

The SS&E clients are remarkable off the field as well. Their clients retrace their roots. Through actions such as setting up foundations, or creating a scholarship fund to their high school or universities, the athletes become role models in their high school, collegiate, and professional communities. For example, Patrick Mahomes has the 15 and the Mahomies Foundations which focuses on helping youth charities. You can find out more at https://www.15andthemahomies.org

Mr. Steinberg shares how the best athletes learn to adopt a quiet mind, sharing stories of Super Bowl Winning Quarterbacks. Finally he shares how he trains the next generation of sports professionals to ensure that they conduct themselves with high ethics and morals.

Cameron Crowe hired him as a technical advisor to the movie, Jerry Maguire, starred by Tom Cruise & Cuba Gooding Jr.

Please follow Steinberg Sports and Entertainment:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/@leighsteinberg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/super.agent.leigh.steinberg

Web: https://www.steinbergsports.com

Simple Kicking Punting Tracker, or Punt tracker app on the App Store

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-kicking/id1492643118

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