Year End Review

This year has been a very successful year for my coaching career. At this time last year I was searching for a way that I could chase my dream to kick in the NFL. I saw that opportunity when I was offered the chance to be Coach Gary Zauner's personal assistant and helped him with all his One on One lessons. I packed my bags and took everything I owned and drove to Fountain Hills, Arizona.

While I was in Arizona I was able to meet and learn from some of the greatest past and present kickers and punter in the game including NFL Hall of Fame Candidate Gary Anderson (pictured above). At the same time I was assisting Coach Zauner I also continued to keep up my kicking skills in the hopes of getting an opportunity with a professional team.

Over the next 6 months in Arizona I gained great clarity about what direction I want to go in my life. I want to coach kicking specialists.

After leaving Arizona in June I came back to Tennessee to help as many college and high school kickers and punters that I had time to work with. I worked with over 55 to 60 specialists this past Summer during the month of July along with also assisting Coach Zauner with his Pro Development Camps, designed for College and NFL Free Agent Specialists’. Also I was a coach and demonstrator at the River Falls Kicking Camp and was able to work with NFL Punter Jon Ryan, of the Seattle Seahawks (pictured holding above).

At the end of July I got a unique opportunity to work with specialists in a different capacity as Coach Eddie Gran (pictured above), University of Tennessee Special Teams Coordinator, offered me the opportunity to be a Special Teams Intern and learn the X’s and O’s of Special Teams from him. I learned an incredible amount about Special Teams from Coach Gran and it was an incredible opportunity to be a part of the All Star Coaching Staff that my alma mater has put together at Tennessee.

As the football season concluded I hopped on a plane to Melbourne, Australia and joined Coach Zauner, his wife Michelle, and media consultant Craig Kasnoff to Australia to search for punting talent for Coach Zauner’s Free Agent Combine. We have seen some punters with incredible legs here and there is no question that Australia definitely has some serious punting talent.

I will conclude this year with the Tennessee Football Team at the Chick Fi-La Bowl in Atlanta for bowl practice and the game on New Year’s Eve. Once the game is over then I will be back to being a full time kicking consultant.

This year has been an extremely busy year for me but has also been one of the most rewarding of my life. I have learned a wealth of knowledge on special teams throughout this year and I continue to sharpen my craft as a coach every day.

I am blessed with the opportunity this next year to be Coach Zauner’s Camp Coordinator as he will be expanding into more kicking camps. I also will continue to be available for One on One Kicking Instruction in Tennessee throughout the year. I look forward to another great year and I am excited to see what this next year will bring!

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com

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