I've been getting mixed reports on the kickers. Tough to sift through the filter of who has an agenda, who doesn't know wtf he's talking about, and who is giving an honest and unbiased opinion. Here's the impression I have gotten after trying to sort this out...
Aric Goodman: Kicks a beautiful ball that gets up into the air in a hurry. He's also got a big leg. For kickoffs, he's pretty much ideal because if he leaves one short it's got enough hang time for the coverage team to get down field. But he will also put a good number deep into the end zone or through it for touchbacks. As a punter, I haven't heard one good thing about him. The only reason I can see to keep having him practice there would be if we ever needed to trot someone out due to an injury emergency. As a placekicker, he's rarely going to get one blocked. Since he gets the ball up so fast, he's probably our most reliable bet on extra points. However, he is inconsistent with his accuracy and has shown that he's not clutch when there is game pressure. When someone has repeatedly lost a job in game situations, it doesn't make much sense for him to win it back in practice. And from the reports, it doesn't look like he is.
Marcus Kirkwood: Big enough leg and enough height on his kickoffs to push Goodman for kickoff duties. As a placekicker, he's been more consistent than Goodman or Grossnickle at the spring practices so far. But he's not blowing anyone away, either. Non-factor at punter.
Zach Grossnickle: More of a laid back guy who doesn't seem to get fazed when bad things happen, which is a good quality to have in a kicker. (As opposed to Goodman, who a lot of people think takes himself too seriously and gets shaken when things don't go his way or anyone questions him.) The negative on Grossnickle's attitude is that he doesn't seem to be passionate about football. Kicking is just something he's really good at and got him a scholarship. Some of the bad punts and kicks people see with him at practice are often because he's tinkering with something (curious/fun to try/see if he can do it) or because he's not focused. As a punter, once he decides on a routine and a consistent approach, he could be great. Amazing hang time. Issues with distance and directional control right now. He probably doesn't factor in as a kickoff guy. As a kicker, he's got a big leg and he kicks better under pressure. Inconsistent, though, and the trajectory on his kicks is awful. If he's our placekicker, we'll probably see some get blocked this year.
Justin Castor: Big leg and seems to be passionate about kicking. Also a pretty big team guy and a good athlete (ran track & played WR). The coaching staff is very eager for him to get on campus. They would like to redshirt him so there is separation between him and Grossnickle. But if no one steps up at kicker, they're hoping that Castor blows everyone away for the kicking duties, because they haven't been impressed by anyone so far. If he can also push Grossnickle a bit as a punter, that would be icing on the cake.
