Newport Harbor’s special feeling about signing day
Outside linebacker Cecil Whiteside is the only football player at Newport Harbor to sign on Wednesday, putting pen to paper and declaring his allegiance to California. But Coach Jeff Brinkley is pretty certain he has two other Division I players on his team, the kind that often get overlooked when college programs try to score big points on National Letter of Intent day: A kicker and a long snapper.
Dillan Freiberg was the Orange County Register’s all-county kicker, and for good reason: He is the county record-holder with 71 consecutive extra-points. Five of his 12 field goals this season were from 35 yards or more, and he only missed two PATs on the year. He also averaged more than 41 yards per punt.
Ryan Iverson, a two-way starter at tight end and linebacker, is the long snapper, and both Colorado State and San Jose State have taken a good look. “They’re definitely interested in him,” Brinkley said. “He’s a bonus guy because as a long snapper he can run down and cover and make a tackle.”
Colleges often take a wait-and-see approach toward both positions, perhaps offering preferred walk-on status. Certainly, no one wants to burn a scholarship on a kicker who was a mistake.
“We were fortunate to have both those guys, they’re as good as I’ve ever had,” Brinkley said. “We’ve never had any combination like those two guys, a kicker and long snapper who I feel are D-1.