The Journey of Pat Smith

[Mavric]

- To your next two points. Smith got on our team. The coaches don't allow another kicker on the team unless A. they recruited him B. they felt a need for him. That means they were looking for another kicker (they recruited him). How is that patently false? If they were comfortable with Bondi, they wouldn't go recruit another kicker as a stop-gap for one year.

There is a difference between "letting him on our team" and "actively recruiting another kicker because you don't have confidence in your first guy". Smith though he wanted to take a chance on kicking for a bigger program so he sent out film to several schools who had lost their kicker from the previous year. Pelini called him back and let him walk on. Why wouldn't you let one of the best kickers in the country walk on to your program, no matter how good your current kicker is?

[ObamaRocks91]

- To your next two points. Smith got on our team. The coaches don't allow another kicker on the team unless A. they recruited him B. they felt a need for him. That means they were looking for another kicker (they recruited him). How is that patently false? If they were comfortable with Bondi, they wouldn't go recruit another kicker as a stop-gap for one year.

There is a difference between "letting him on our team" and "actively recruiting another kicker because you don't have confidence in your first guy". Smith though he wanted to take a chance on kicking for a bigger program so he sent out film to several schools who had lost their kicker from the previous year. Pelini called him back and let him walk on. Why wouldn't you let one of the best kickers in the country walk on to your program, no matter how good your current kicker is?

 

He got on the team because he was recruited and they felt a need! They don't recruit him and feel there is a need unless they have serious confidence issues with Bondi. Have you seen Bondi kick FGs? Pat Smith isn't one of the best kickers in the nation, where are you getting this from?? He did a nice job for us this year, better than a lot of people would have expected, but lets not get carried away here, jesus.

 

Look, FG is a position where you don't need or build depth at. You grab a kicker every 4 years (possibly 3) and fill in a back-up with a couple walk-ons. You need one guy who will be available basically 99.5% of the time for 4 years. In 2009, we didn't recruit or get a fifth year senior transfer to kick behind Henery. Same with Maher. We needed one guy. They didn't feel comfortable with Bondi, they recruited another kicker. Now we will have another kicker on campus next year.

 

The point remains, I don't think Bondi will kick a FG in his career again, and I personally don't feel having a scholarship for a guy kicking exclusively kick offs is productive use of the 85 limit. We could use another WR, CB, OT, QB rather than someone who kicks off.

 

Just go back and read Bo's comments on the kicking game from July 2013 to about November. EVERY quote was "neither guy has taken the job, there is still inconsistency with both guys. I would like to see more out of them. Need to be more consistent..." Again, I just don't follow how or what you're arguing when everything is so forthright and clear.

[KJ.]

While I should say that in no universe a kickoff specialist is deserving of a scholarship....sure, why not. It's not like we've been anywhere close to the 85 scholarship limit anyway.