Wilhoit's Top Sr Kicking Specialists in Tennessee

Landon Foster (Committed to U. of Kentucky)

Over the past two years of doing football kicking lessons in Tennessee I have seen an increase in overall talent of kicking specialists in the state.

Two years ago it was kickers like Corey Acosta (Southern Miss) and Brian Davis (Arkansas St.)  who were able to gain scholarships after their high school season.

Last year was an even better year as Nathan Renfro (Maryland), Spencer Roth (Baylor), Zach Sharp (TN Tech), and Jackson Redditt (UT-Martin) all had their schooling paid for by their kicking or punting skills.

If someone is looking for a kicking scholarship it is important to have a solid plan going into your senior year. Lots of kickers and parents believe that scholarships are based on ability and that is mostly correct, but it is also vital to market yourself.

George Bullock (U. of Tennessee)

The kicking talent in the state of Tennessee is strong this year as we have two kicking specialists committed to SEC schools already as Landon Foster is headed to Kentucky and George Bullock is committed to kick at Tennessee.

Greeneville Kicker Ben Ogle

Usually having two kicking specialists at SEC schools would be a great year alone for kicking specialists in the state but there is plenty more talent in the state this year.

In Chattanooga there is an extremely talented kicker that has exploded on the scene in Henrique Ribeiro of Chattanooga Baylor. This year he has hit field goals of 57 and 52 yards.

Check out this article on Henrique Ribeiro . I hope to make a trip to Chattanooga this season to meet him and watch him kick. He is really an incredible story.

Ben Ogle of Greeneville High School is a talented kicker who should find a scholarship by the end of the season. 

Ogle (pictured below) has hit numerous kickoffs out the back of the endzone and just recently hit a 57 yard field goal! Hitting long field goals have a way of getting college coaches' attention!

Brentwood punter Ryan Ault

The best pure punter that is not committed to a school is Brentwood High punter Ryan Ault. He also handles the kickoffs for the Bruins.

What separates him from most punters is his ability to hit a consistent spirals without having the most ideal snaps. His best football is ahead of him and I certainly see him as a scholarship punter. He is technically sound and has great hang time on his punts.

I am excited to see where he ends up and to see his increased success with advantage of a college snapper and more time in the weight room.

Maryville kicker Evan Toby

The final kicker that I want to highlight is Maryville High School kicker Evan Toby. Evan took over the kicking duties from Tennessee Mr. Football Kicker of the Year Zach Sharp.

Evan has the leg strength to be a college kicker and is just now getting the experience. Kicking at a big school like Maryville puts him in the spotlight almost every week and he compared favorably with Tennessee commitment George Bullock when their prospective schools faced off this year.

Being a football kicking coach in Tennessee I have worked with or seen the majority kicking talent in Tennessee. Here are my top senior kicking specialists from the state of Tennessee in alphabetical order.

• Ryan Ault- Punter (Brentwood High) 
• Toby Baker-Punter (MUS)
• Shawn Bowerman- Kicker (Hendersonville High)
• George Bullock-KO Specialist (Knoxville West)
• Landon Foster-Punter/Kicker (Independence High)
• Chris Harris- Kicker (Columbia High)
• Benjamin Ogle- Kicker (Greeneville)
• Henrique Ribeiro- Kicker (Chattanooga Baylor)
• Evan Toby- Kicker (Maryville High)

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com


Follow me on Twitter

Wilhoit Kickers Mid Season Update

We are now at the midpoint of the football season and Wilhoit kicking students are having another very successful year so far in college and in high school.

It was a great Summer doing football kicking lessons in Tennessee and numerous kicking specialists are reaping the rewards of all the hard work they did in the offseason.

Some of the standouts so far from the college kickers are Stephen Stansell (Austin Peay) and Brian Davis (Arkansas St.), while high school kickers Shawn Bowerman (Hendersonville High) and Greeneville kicker Ben Ogle are having breakthrough years.

Stephen Stansell (pictured above) has had a solid season so far after having some injury concerns in the preseason. He hit the go ahead 35 yard field goal to beat Tennessee State last weekend and was named Ohio Valley Special Teams Player of the Week.

Click here to read the article Stansell Ohio Valley Player of the Week.

Brian Davis (pictured above) is having a great season this year for Arkansas State. In the first game of the season he kicked a 47 yard field goal against Illinois and last week he kicked a Sun Belt Record 6 field goals against Central Arkansas.

Brian was named one of the three Lou Groza Stars of the Week and was the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the week!

In the high school ranks there have been quite a few guys with impressive seasons. I am very proud of Shawn Bowerman, who plays for my alma mater, Hendersonville High School. Last week Shawn hit field goals of 48, 47, and 26 yards in 23-6 win over rival Beech High School.

Shawn is 6 for 8 on the season with 3 kicks of 45 yards or more. Also, he has done an excellent job on kickoffs with over 65% of his kickoffs for touchbacks.

Ben Ogle of Greeneville High School has had another solid season. The past two years he has been the All State kicker for 4A football and he is making a case for a third year!

Ben hit a 57 yard field goal last week against West Greene (video below). He has a big leg and should get some good looks from colleges across the South.

While Ogle's field goal was impressive...there are some other Wilhoit Varsity kickers across the state that are having great seasons including...

• Sr punter/kicker Landon Foster (Independence)
• Sr kickoff specialist George Bullock (Knox West)
• Sr punter Ryan Ault (Brentwood)
• Sr kicker Chris Harris (Columbia)
• Sr kicker Evan Toby (Maryville)
• Jr kicker Alex Sigmon (Tennessee High)
• Jr kicker Ryan Jenkins (Mt. Juliet)
• Jr kicker Matt Forstoff (Columbia Central)
• Soph kicker Gary Wunderlich (Memphis U. School)
• Soph kicker Aaron Medley (Marshall Co.)

-Check out my blog on www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com later in the week as I will be writing about the top kickers and punters in the state of Tennessee .

-There are already two kicking specialists committed to SEC schools and there will be many more commitments over the coming months

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com

Follow me on Twitter