Transfer Atticus Sappington a leading candidate to handle all Oregon kicking duties

Oregon’s special teams unit entered fall camp earlier this month with proven performers and big legs at all three kicking positions.

But punter Ross James, place kicker Atticus Sappington and kickoff specialist Andrew Boyle all have different stories to tell from their respective 2023 seasons.

And none of the three will have a job handed to them as the Aug. 31 regular-season opener against Idaho gets closer.

That’s just fine with Sappington, the transfer from Oregon State who made 92.86% of his field-goal attempts (13 of 14) in 2023 to lead the Pac-12 and rank fifth nationally.

“I’m a competitor and I’m coming for everything that’s in front of me and no one’s going to stop me,” said Sappington, a junior from Portland’s Central Catholic High School who's looking to claim the job vacated with the graduation of former starter Camden Lewis.

Last season, Sappington made 5 of 6 field goals from 40-49 yards, 5 of 5 from 30-39 yards, and 3 of 3 from 20-29 yards. His long of 48 yards was a career best. He also converted 49 of 50 extra-point attempts.

In 2022 with the Beavers, he made 5 of 7 field-goal attempts and 15 of 16 extra-point attempts.

“He’s really blended in well,” Oregon special teams coach Joe Lorig said. “I think it’s been a really good fit for him. He’s excited to be here and he’s brought another level of competition to the room. … He comes with a pedigree already, a guy who’s not just talk about it, he’s been about it. He’s brought a level of maturity to the room.”

Sappington’s offseason competition for place kicker has primarily come from redshirt freshman Grant Meadors, who went 5 for 5 on extra-point attempts as the backup to Lewis last season.

Meadors was rated by Chris Sailor Kicking as the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023.

Lorig said both kickers have been impressive this month during camp, which for kickers has included several drills that attempt to replicate the type of high-pressure situations they’ll see in games.

“But you can’t replicate going into Autzen Stadium and being on TV and all that stuff,” Lorig said. “It’s a different kind of mental toughness that’s probably the hardest thing to evaluate. That’s why guys with experience are always a big plus because they’ve done it on that stage before. It’s just different and you won’t really don't know until you see a guy in that situation.”

Oregon kick-off duties up for grabs

Sappington said he also wants to be on the field for kickoffs, a competition that also includes Meadors and Boyle, who handled those duties for the Ducks in 2022 before an injury sidelined him for all of 2023.

Boyle has been back at practice since the spring.

“Had a little bit of knee trouble last year,” he said. “But we’re healthy now and ready for this year.”

Boyle played in 12 games in 2022 and kicked off 75 times for an average of 63.6 yards per kick with 52 touchbacks. He also had a memorable onside kick recovery against UCLA — the first by a Duck since 2013.

In his two seasons at Oregon State, Sappington had a combined 94 kickoffs for an average of 61.4 yards and 56 touchbacks.

Meadors also kicked off eight times for an average of 62.75 yards and four touchbacks in 2023.

“Every three days we go into Autzen and we chart kicks,” Lorig said. “It’s pretty simple. We just base it on ball location, hang time and touchback percentage and then whoever’s going to give the best opportunity to eliminate explosive returns. You just look at the numbers, to be honest with you.”

Is punting job James' to lose?

For James, the 2023 season set a new standard for Oregon punters.

The junior set the single-season program record with his 48.41-yard average per punt on 27 attempts. That included 10 punts of 50-plus yards and two of 60-plus yards — a 63-yarder at Texas Tech and a 64-yarder at home against California. He also was able to pin opponents inside the 20-yard line 11 times.

Attempting to unseat James is Luke Dunne, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound redshirt freshman from Australia who had three punts for an average of 40.7 yards in 2023.

“You’ve got two really, really talented guys," Lorig said. “It’s literally neck and neck. The competition over the simulated game days over the next couple of weeks is going to be really important, and how they can handle different types of kicks — pinning guys, into their different field locations and then again, handling the pressure.”

Follow Chris Hansen on X @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com .

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Transfer Atticus Sappington a leading candidate to handle all Oregon kicking duties