I am proud to announce that on Friday June 8th I will be assisting with the University of Tennessee Kicking Camp. The university camps are a key part to the evaluation process for college coaches and many kickers, punters, and long snappers will receive a scholarship or priority walk on spot from attending these camps.
The tradition of kickers at the University of Tennessee is very long and distinguished and I am honored to be a part of that tradition. This tradition includes Lou Groza Finalists, All Americans, and ALL SEC participants. NFL punters Dustin and Britton Colquitt attended this camp and Baltimore Ravens long snapper Morgan Cox was discovered at this camp too.
Back when I was a sophomore and junior at Hendersonville High School, I attended the Tennessee Football Kicking Camp. I was able to compete against some of the top kickers in the Southeast and the impression I made at this camp helped me to receive a full scholarship to Tennessee.
One thing to know about a college kicking camp is that it is mainly for exposure and not for instruction. I love that Tennessee is a one day kicking camp this year because honestly it is very difficult for kicking specialists to attend 2-3 day camps because kickers and punters have a tendency to kick too much. This camp is designed for you to see Tennessee's campus and see some of the best football facilities in America.
If you feel that you are worthy of a kicking scholarship than it is important that you go to these camps and if you are a younger kicking specialist this can be a great experience to be on campus and see the how the camp process works.
I look forward to seeing many of my kicking clients at the camp and also many kicking specialists that I don't know. I am honored to be a part of this camp and represent my alma mater. Hopefully someone from this Tennessee Kicking Camp can earn an opportunity to help the Tennessee Football team and have the opportunity to run through the "T" and play for the Vols!
This past weekend was my first group kicking camp in Knoxville and it was certainly a success. Everyone that participated in the camp improved and each participant benefited from the competitive atmosphere.
These camps are made to be instructive, competitive, and fun. I could see the comradery that was built with the kickers and everyone was able to learn more by watching others. It was exciting to see kickers improve by 6-7 yards on kickoffs and become more accurate on field goals in a matter of 3 hours.
The group of kickers in the morning consisted of freshman or sophomores, while the afternoon group was for the older and more advanced kickers.
In the morning session Alex Rinella (Science Hill HS) did excellent in the charting session by making 8 of 9 field goals and JJ Jerman (Seymour HS) performed best on kickoffs. The younger kickers are very talented and they will see huge improvement in leg strength and consistency in the next year or so.
Some other kickers of note were Roberto Velkovic (Karns HS), Devon Helton (Cumberland Gap HS) and John Huffman (Science Hill). All three of those kickers had a nice day and showed great potential.
In the afternoon the temperatures started to heat up and so did the kickers. Some of the top names at the camp were Mitchell Mascaro (College of Cumberlands) and Henrique Ribeiro (U. of Tenn. Chattanooga signee).
The camp concluded with a single elimination field goal competition, which was highlighted by a battle between two of the top 2014 kicking prospects in the state, Rafael Gaglianone and Robby Strachan. Both kickers nailed kick after kick and backed up all the way to 56 yards without missing with Robby finally winning the competition. Honestly you can say that both kickers won though because you could see the competitive juices flowing and both kickers gained from the experience.
These camps are probably one of my favorite parts of being a football kicking coach in Tennessee. I can see kickers getting better and you can see kicking coming alive for the kickers who attend. I look forward to doing more of these Tennessee kicking camps throughout the offseason!
As the month of February began, Mr. Football Kicker of the Year Henrique Ribeiro, didn't have a college home. This supremely talented kicker who had blasted all his kickoffs out of the end zone and made long kicks of 57, 52, and 50 yards wasn't getting his just due. After a month of hard work by Henrique he has found his college home. He will sign with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga today.
The college football recruiting process for kickers is far from perfect and these things happen sometimes, but it is always frustrating to see a talented kicker slip through the cracks. In this article in the Chattanooga Times Free PressHenrique Ribeiro ArticleI was quoted as saying that MTSU and U. of TN Chattanooga would be crazy not to sign Henrique and I am glad that the U. of TN Chattanooga came to their senses!
This past weekend Henrique came to my Knoxville football kicking camp and performed great. The other kickers seem to be in amazement at the brute strength that he possesses. Selfishly I am pleased that Henrique is staying in Chattanooga because he can keep training with future 2014 star Rafael Gaglianone, who will be Chattanooga Baylor's next great kicker. Check out this video (above) of Henrique Ribeiro kicking a kickoff. He kicked this kick through the uprights from the 40 yard line with a 4.31 hang time!
Henrique has learned the value of exposure as a kicker. I tell all my kicking clients that you have to get out there and go to football kicking camps in Tennessee and surrounding areas to get the necessary attention from college coaches.
On February 18-19 Henrique attended The National Camp Series Super Campin Orlando, Florida. He impressed some of the best kicking coaches in the country and performed against some of the best kickers in the country. At that time it reconfirmed to me that he was not a flash in the pan, he has the ability to be a star in college.
Here in the video (below) you can see Henrique's performance at the camp.
Just recently the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga came to the table to offer Henrique a scholarship. Their kicking game has needed some improvement and I believe that Henrique's performance at the camp in Orlando was just icing on the cake. He will compete right away for the starting job and I expect him to make an instant impact.
I could not be happier for Henrique to get this opportunity. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is getting a special kicker and person. If you are in the area for one of the "Mocs" games this year I would suggest attending. You will get to see one of the most talented kickers in the country.
This past weekend was the first Wilhoit Training Camp of the year. I do lots ofkicking lessons in Nashville , but I felt that some of my more advanced clients needed the competition element of kicking. This is what motivated me to do thisNashville kicking campover at Ensworth High School.
There was a great turnout of kickers at the event including Arkansas State kicker Brian Davis (pictured above) and Tennessee Tech signee Chris Harris from Columbia High School.
I worked to try and pair up kickers of similar levels to create competition. Over the years of kicking and coaching I have found that kickers have a tendency to kick one way by themselves and an entirely different way in front of people. It is important to attend these camps to get use to kicking in competition.
One of the most impressive performances at the camp was Chris Qualls from Arkansas. Chris is a 2015 kicking prospect who showed very good field goal technique on a windy day. You can see a sample field goal in this video above. Chris has conductedkicking lessons in Memphiswith me and is a quick study. Nice job Chris!
A couple of top kicking prospects for next years 2013 kicking class are Hillsboro's Joe Occhipinti and MBA's Landon Bullock. Both kickers showed why they have had lots of success at football kicking camps in Tennessee and across the nation.
Finally there were the trio of kickers from Memphis; Chandler Stafford from Germantown Houston, Gary Wunderlich (MUS) and Tanner Norman (First Assembly). Stafford and Wunderlich are two of the top 2014 kickers in the state and will contend for scholarships in a few years.
The groupkicking lessons in Nashvillewere a great success and I saw that each kicker took a lot from the experience. It is a great barometer for where each kicker stands at this time and gives them the chance to make corrections and get better. I look forward to starting the competition all over again at my Knoxville kicking camp next weekend!
