Right now, Shane Beamer seems to trust his kickers about as far as he can throw them.
Asked after Saturday’s scrimmage about the ongoing kicking competition — which includes five guys with a combined zero collegiate field goal attempts — Beamer looked like he was on the verge of asking for Gamecocks soccer players if they could kick a pigskin.
“It’s been very inconsistent,” Beamer said of the kicking battle. “All of those guys have had opportunities in practice that they’ve taken advantage of. Then they’ve also missed some really good opportunities to take a step forward. I don’t think we’re any closer to having a starter at that position.”
Beamer Ball isn’t Beamer Ball without a great kicking game.
Thank goodness for the punters, who are lifting up the special teams unit during preseason camp.
“Kai Kroeger and Mason Love are punting the crap out of the ball right now,” Beamer said. “I’m really excited about those two guys and the way they’re hitting it.”
Love, who is also competing for the starting kicker job, was the No. 1 punting prospect in the nation coming out of high school in Missouri. Perhaps he’ll be the Gamecocks’ starting punter in a year. For now, that job belongs to Kroeger, who is trying to regain his form from two years ago.
In 2022, as South Carolina finished the regular seasons with wins over ranked Tennessee and Clemson, the Gamecocks’ punter became one of the team’s biggest stars. He was one of three players South Carolina took to SEC Media Days.
In the fourth quarter of USC’s upset over the No. 8-ranked Tigers, Kroeger booted two of the prettiest punts you’ll ever see. With just over four minutes left and South Carolina up 1, Kroeger nailed a 63-yard punt that settled at the 3-yard line. A few minutes before that, he destroyed a 61-yarder that stopped 2 yards in front of the end zone.
“Kai Kroeger, you’re my MVP. Holy mackerel,” South Carolina radio broadcaster Todd Ellis hollered. “He’s throwing darts out there, people.”
Those are the expectations Kroeger walked into 2023 with. That he was not just going to be great, but maybe the best punter in the country. That he could flick the football with his left foot and land that thing wherever the heck he wanted. That he might actually win the Gamecocks a game or two.
Instead, well, last season was sporadic.
His overall average dropped by three yards a punt. He was landing nearly 15% fewer kicks within the 20-yard line. And, among others, he had two costly shanks in a loss against Florida, including a 28-yard punt that led to the Gators’ go-ahead, last-minute touchdown.
“Obviously that wasn’t the season I wanted,” he said. “(I’ve been) assessing how I handle things, how I approach certain situations and just how I attack football in general.”
Part of the last year’s drop-off, he noted, could have been a result of something mental. But so often, a little mental doubt leads to a dip in technique, and then the dip in technique leads to a bad punt. It’s all a vicious cycle.
Perhaps a benefit for Kroeger is a new voice. After special teams coordinator Pete Lembo took the head coaching job at Buffalo , South Carolina hired Joe DeCamillis to take over. A special teams coach in the NFL for over 30 years, DeCamillis knows what he’s looking for.
“He had a great year in 2022,” DeCamillis said. “Just got off with a couple technique things last year.”
Chief among them: His elbow. He was inverting it. Instead of his elbow sitting just on the side of his body, he was tucking it into his ribs. The ball was dropping inside his shoulder. He’d try and kick across the ball and, well, you’re gambling at that point. Sometimes it hooks back to the field. Sometimes, it shanks out of bounds.
DeCamillis introduced him to some drills, including one that simply requires a ball and a line.
“Standing on one side of a line,” Kroeger said, “and making sure you’re keeping that ball on the outside the line as you do your drops.”
If Kroeger can right his elbow, perhaps everything else will follow.
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