There has been some discussion on the Board about the merits of recruiting kickers from high school vs going with experience through the portal. My own thinking on this is, while the hit rate is low, if you hit early on a kicker, then you are likely to have solved the issue for multiple years and will be in a stronger position. (Kicking of course, at the college level, is a fickle mistress.) I was curious and did some quick research to see how the past 10 national championship-winning teams handled their PK. Of the past 10 champions, only one team (Michigan, 2023) handled it's kicking duties on a one-year rental through the portal. Only one other champion (Bama, 2017) used a kicker who transferred from Ole Miss and played two years at Bama. The rest of the champions (bolded below) recruited their kickers from high school and/or developed walk-ons. This tells me that offering a kicker and hopefully hitting on him is the better, more sustainable way to go, especially if scholarship numbers increase. Here is the quick research:
2024 Ohio State Jayden Fielding (third year in program, a senior starter this year)
2023 Michigan James Turner (transferred from Louisville where he played from 2000-2022)
2022 Georgia Jake Podlesny (redshirt, then back-up, then three year starter)
2021 Georgia Jake Podlesny (see above)
2020 Alabama Will Reichert (kicked at Bama for 5 years)
2019 LSU Cade York (three year starter)
2018 Clemson Greg Huegel (4 year kicking in the program)
2017 Alabama Andy Pappanastos (Ole Miss 2 years; 2 years Bama)
2016 Clemson Greg Huegel (4 year kicking in the program)
2015 Alabama Adam Griffith (red shirt, then back-up, then kicked for 3 years)
2024 Ohio State Jayden Fielding (third year in program, a senior starter this year)
2023 Michigan James Turner (transferred from Louisville where he played from 2000-2022)
2022 Georgia Jake Podlesny (redshirt, then back-up, then three year starter)
2021 Georgia Jake Podlesny (see above)
2020 Alabama Will Reichert (kicked at Bama for 5 years)
2019 LSU Cade York (three year starter)
2018 Clemson Greg Huegel (4 year kicking in the program)
2017 Alabama Andy Pappanastos (Ole Miss 2 years; 2 years Bama)
2016 Clemson Greg Huegel (4 year kicking in the program)
2015 Alabama Adam Griffith (red shirt, then back-up, then kicked for 3 years)
