Less than a week away from the Ball State University football team's season opener, coach Brady Hoke is still hosting an open competition for kicker.
The three listed place kickers on the Cardinals' roster are freshmen Jake Hogue and Ian McGarvey and sophomore Adam Weber. Though none have seen action in a collegiate game, Hoke said the team would trust whoever ends up in the position.
"I think the guys have faith in whoever we line up as our kicker," Hoke said. "It's not something that's going to change the way they play. They're still going to take care of their jobs and the kicker is going to take care of his job."
Last season, the place kicker position wasn't a concern for the Cardinals. Senior Brian Jackson's performance was good enough to earn him the Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year by the MAC News Media Association.
Jackson, who is now participating in the newly formed All-American Football League, connected on 17 of 19 field goals and 37 of 38 point after attempts in 2006.
Though Jackson led the team in scoring with 88 points, Hoke said it was Jackson's ability to make the big kicks that the team will miss the most.
"There's no question [the next kicker] will have big shoes to fill," Hoke said. "Brian was great for us. He was a reliable kicker that always came up big in the big moments. Look at the 52-yarder he made against Indiana. It's going to be difficult to replace a guy who can make kicks like that."
Beginning this season, college kickoffs will be moved from the 35-yard line to the 30-yard line, which is the same as the NFL.
Though Hoke thinks the rule change will open opportunities for Ball State when it returns kickoffs, he said it puts more emphasis on finding a solid kicker with a powerful leg.
"Usually the most important kicking play is the punt because of the impact it has on field position," Hoke said. "But I think kicking at the 30 [yard line] makes the kickoff much more important than it used to be. I don't know if it's as important as the punt yet, but it's a lot closer now."
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