The Blue Devils are in dire need of a placekicker and they opened their doors to any and all interested students Monday to take a crack at walking onto the team.
Despite two all-state selections in high school and offers to play at major football schools such as Florida, starting kicker Joe Surgan has converted just four of 14 field goals and 13 of 18 extra points since the beginning of last season. He was pulled this past Saturday against Navy after missing another point-after attempt, but backup Greg Myers went on to miss a 31-yard field goal.
With that, the kicking game's disappointments finally became too much to bear for members of the Duke coaching staff, who visited other teams' practices early Monday to invite interested students to try out.
"What we did was just say, 'Hey, let's see if there's a kid that might be an athlete on one of the other sports teams that might have kicked in high school,'" special teams coach Danny Pearman said. "We opened it up to them and the rest of the student body... to just come try it out and see if we can find a spot for them."
Nine students came out to show off their kicking legs, including players from the lacrosse and baseball varsity teams as well as rugby and soccer club teams. The students kicked in gym clothes and in a non-live situation, but Pearman warned about the added pressure that comes with playing against a live defense gunning for a block.
"There's a big difference between coming out here in a punt, pass and kick situation versus coming out here with some live bullets," Pearman said.
Each student was asked to first kick a series of extra points and then 35-yard field goals. Afterward, coaches singled out lacrosse midfielder Bo Carrington, who converted his field goal attempts with plenty of distance to spare, and asked him to try booting some kickoffs.
"It's been a long time," said Carrington, who kicked in high school. "If there's anything we can do to help out... if it's kicking the ball or doing anything else, and we can help the team win, then, absolutely, I'll do it."
Carrington and at least three others, sophomore club soccer players Ray Caesar and Michael Burdick, and freshman rugby player Will Snyderwine, were asked back to attend practice with the rest of the team today at 7:30 a.m. Although Pearman cannot guarantee any one of them a roster spot, the option is on the table. With a game coming up at Miami, he made sure to include a little bit of extra incentive for the candidates.
"I can get you one night in South Beach this Friday," Pearman said.
Whether a decision will be made that soon is yet to be seen. But the Blue Devils look forward to putting an end to their kicking woes, even if it means staying with what they have.
"We're just looking to solve a problem," Pearman said. "Obviously, we've got eight games left, and I'm hoping Joe or Greg or [backup] Nick [Maggio] can solve the problem. But if they can't, we're looking for our next best answer.... We had a great turnout and the kids looked good. So, we'll see where it goes."
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