Nick Daschel is a veteran sports writer and columnist who has worked on the West coast for nearly three decades. Nick has covered the Pac-10 for about 15 years, primarily focusing on the Northwest schools.
Winding down the Pac-10’s best-of at each position, we’re at the non-position players, the kickers. First up are placekickers, who are only remembered if they make a big kick or whiff on a game-winner. Here is the top 5:
1. Thomas Weber, Arizona State: We have a bit of soft spot for Weber, not that he needs our sympathy. The inept Sun Devils just wore him out last season as the team’s kicker and punter. Weber gets the nod over UCLA’s Kai Forbath for two reasons: 1, he does ALL the kicking duties for Arizona State, and 2, he is a Lou Groza Award winner as college football’s top placekicker in 2007. Inside 40 yards on field goal attempts, Weber is an incredible 33 of 36. And Weber has leg, hitting a 57-yarder during preseason drills a few weeks ago.
2. Kai Forbath, UCLA: He is the fair-haired kicker of the Pac-10, having landed on virtually every preseason all-league and All-America team. Forbath may well turn out to be better than Weber by the time their college careers end in 2010. Shoot, we’d take either kicker. Forbath comes into the season riding a streak of 13 consecutive successful field goal attempts, including one of 53 yards. He’s almost as accurate as Weber inside 40 yards, hitting 29 of 33 in college. By season’s end, Forbath may have a Lou Groza Award to match Weber’s.
3. Justin Kahut, Oregon State: K-hoot (that’s how you pronounce it) might be ready to join the top two after a so-so rookie season. Kahut hit a credible 13 of 16 from inside 40 yards last season, but has shown a big leg during practice. Kahut also made a fairly important kick longer than 40 yards last season, a 44-yard field goal that was the difference in OSU’s 3-0 win over Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl. This kicking guru worked with Kahut during the offseason and says he just needs some instruction and drills to become a really good one.
4. Nico Grasu, Washington State: Kicking quality really falls off the map after the top three, as only Grasu and Cal’s Giorgio Tavecchio have experience among Pac-10 booters. We’ll go with Grasu, if only because he provided Washington State with its 2008 season highlight, a 37-yard field goal in the second overtime that beat Washington 16-13. We’ll admit neither kicker blows us away.
5. Erik Folk, Washington: We’ll take a stab here and say Folk is the best of the Pac-10’s unknowns (and there are a lot of them in 2009). Folk has some seasoning in that he has been on Washington’s campus for two seasons, though he’s yet to kick in a game because of injuries to his back and hip. But he does have a pedigree for kicking, as the brother to former Arizona star Nick Folk. He came to Washington as a highly-regarded high school kicker. Lord knows Washington can use all the help it can get, even if it’s a kicker who can consistently convert a 35-yard field goal … or PAT.
Nick Daschel covers the Pacific-10 Conference for Buster Sports, and can be reached at ndaschel@bustersports.com
Alright, Thomas Weber! I have been seeing Forbath as the top Pac-10 kicker in multiple other rankings. It is about time someone ranks this former Lou Groza Award winner as the top Pac-10 guy for 09.
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