Kicking World Blog

2021 Kicking World National Showcase Recap

by Kicking World owner Brent Grablachoff

The 2021 Kicking World Invite-Only National Showcase took place on December 4-5, 2021 at Del Valle HS in Austin, TX. 96 kickers & punters from 30 states...

2021 National Showcase (Day 2) Field Goal Competition – Campers watch as Nick West’s 65 yard FG hits crossbar

The 8th installment of the Kicking World National Showcase was our biggest and most talented event (particularly punting) ever to take place in our 14-year camp history. With our largest showing of 96 participants the staff and all involved did a tremendous job of keeping everything running smoothly. We’re very thankful for our host site of Del Valle HS and for Coach Acosta and everyone at Del Valle ISD for their tremendous hospitality in allowing us use of the stadium, press box, classrooms, and the beautiful indoor turf field this weekend. Shout out to all of our coaches, staff, videographers, photographers, live broadcast crew, campers, and their families/friends for putting their trust in us and for making the commitment to join Kicking World for the big weekend.

This year 96 participants from 30 states made the journey to Austin, Texas for the annual invite-only National Showcase event! The weekend’s festivities took place at Del Valle HS, a few miles east of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and minutes to the Lone Star State’s Capitol and KW HQ. These 96 young men were among a select group of only 120 students hand-picked to earn an invitation based on their performances amongst the over 1,200 students we evaluated during the 2021 camp season, putting them in the top ~10% of HS kickers and punters from across the country. Over 100 of the 120 chosen accepted their invites, but with injuries and state playoffs, we lost a few, with the final tally being 96 out of 120 for our largest event ever with an impressive attend/invite ratio of 80%!

Our annual event is a pivotal opportunity for elite high school specialists to not only make an impact on the camp staff and receive referrals & recommendations based on their performance throughout the weekend but also garner the attention of college football coaches through the YouTube Live Broadcast. Close to 2,000 live viewers tuned in to the event, and in technical terms we had over 200 ‘concurrent’ viewers at several points throughout the broadcast which means many people saw this event… talk about exposure! Multiple campers & families both at the event and watching from afar sent me texts, emails, and social media DMs – @KickingWorld saying how impressed they were by the Showcase and congratulating the staff on a successful weekend – thanks y’all!

During the weekend after posting Day 1 statistics and later during the Day 2 Live Broadcast I received a few texts and voicemails from college coaches, as did some of the top participants who saw new Twitter ‘follows’, DMs, and text messages from coaches they hadn’t previously engaged with. Within 5 days of the weekend so far 3 new Division 2 scholarship offers have been earned between 2 of the top kickoff guys, and we expect new offers (both smaller and larger division schools) to soon follow as we push out this blog post to media and college coaches. During and immediately following the early signing period (Wed, Dec 15) I will ramp up engagement with my college coaching contacts during this heavy recruiting season to help them fill their specific K/P needs. Stay tuned on our social media pages – @KickingWorld for updates on any new offers!

In this Showcase Recap article, I’ll highlight the top performers from both days and introduce to you the newest Hot Prospects joining our comprehensive List of the top prep kickers & punters in the nation. College coaches utilize our Hot Prospect List as an efficient and reliable source for their specialist recruiting efforts which makes up our top ~3-5% of students nationwide.

2021 kicking world national showcase2021 National Showcase Team Photo (missing 5 students)

DAY 1 CHARTING COMPETITIONS

Kickoff Charting

The Day 1 Kickoff Charting competition is always one of the most challenging events because the balls used during our National Showcase are brand new, out of the wrapper so the students are kicking new footballs which really tests their skill and most importantly helps to keep the statistics equitable across all participants. Day 1 KO competition conditions were noted as +3 Yard Wind Advantage counteracted by a -0.20 Hang Time Disadvantage due to Brand New Wilson 1005 footballs inflated to 11.0 PSI. As always, Day 2 numbers were even better once the balls started breaking in.

HS Senior Tony Sterner (Class of 2022 Kicker – Kingwood Park HS, TX) was the dominant kickoff force (winning both days of our kickoff competition) this weekend. He averaged 72 yards / 3.93 seconds on his 5 charted kicks on Day 1. His big ball was 74 yards / 4.04 seconds. Tony’s Day 1 numbers were better than last year’s top Day 1 KO numbers and those young men are signing on full scholarship to big time D1 schools next week, so we hope to see Tony follow suit.

Ten of the Top 20 participants on Day 1 KO Charting were already on the Hot Prospect List entering the weekend. Seven new guys from the Top 20 were added to the List making Day 1’s Top 20 Kickoff participants comprised of 17 Hot Prospects, WOW.

Top 10 Kickoffs (Day 1):

  • Tony Sterner (2022 – Texas) winner
  • Keegan Johnson (2023 – Maryland)
  • Caden Palmer (2022 – Iowa)
  • Dax Iverson (2023 – Utah)
  • Cameron Pope (2022 – Washington)
  • Michael Calton (2023 – New Jersey)
  • Clayton Amaya (2024 – Texas)
  • Kameron VanProoyen (2023 – Texas)
  • Aidan Battle (2023 – Kansas)
  • Bryce Soli (2022 – South Dakota)

Of the top 7 charters’ combined kickoffs on Day 1, eighteen of their 35 total kicks were 70+ yards! We had a lot of big legs all weekend. Keegan Johnson of Urbana HS in Maryland (Class of 2023) finished #2 Overall on Day 1 Kickoffs with 4 of his 5 kickoffs going 72 yards or longer, averaging 72 yards per kickoff (the same as Tony). Caden Palmer a Class of 2022 K/P from Clayton Ridge HS in Iowa looked solid on kickoffs as well, averaging 68 yards on his 5 kicks. In 4th position, if it wasn’t for his one lower hang, Dax Iverson – the 2023 kicker from Fremont HS in Utah may have finished closer to #3 or #2 overall. His 4 best kicks averaged 71 yards with 3.84 seconds of hang.

A notable participant finishing 7th overall /#1 in his class is Class of 2024 kicker Clayton Amaya (Smithson Valley HS, TX) who showed great consistency as his last 4 kickoffs all went exactly 70 yards. His hangs weren’t where we wanted them but he made up for it on field goals both days. The underclassman recruit is listed as our top Class of 2024 kicker with a D1 level rating.

There were just too many good stats to highlight everyone in this blog post, so please reference the below Day 1 Kickoff Charting graphic and link to the full stats for every participant.

See how every participant placed on Day 1’s Kickoff Charting results.

tony sterner 2022 kickerDay 1 Overall Kickoff Winner (Tony Sterner – 2022 Texas)

Punt Charting

The 2021 National Showcase was the best overall punting event we’ve seen at any of our prior National Showcases and we can’t recall seeing this many high school kids put up such big punt hang times at any 1 or 2 day event, ever. Day 1 Punt conditions were noted with only a +2 Yard Wind Advantage. Going into the weekend we predicted some big Punt #s and the participants did not disappoint! There were multiple hang times clocked over 5.0 seconds throughout the weekend. On Day 1, of the Top 10 Charters’ 50 total punts, 21 of those 50 punts were over 4.4 seconds of hang! For the punters finishing in positions #11 through #16, nine of their 30 punts were over 4.4 seconds. There were also 8 punts recorded over 4.7 seconds of hang from the Top 20 Punters.

Class of 2022 Punter Evan O’Connell from Bishop Ready HS in Ohio hit a monster 58 yard / 4.41 second punt on Day 1 which substantially helped his 5 punt average. The distances we record are considered ‘net’ meaning we subtract 15 yards for the line of scrimmage which is where the long snapper would snap the ball from in a game (most HS & College football teams place the punter 13-15 yards behind the line of scrimmage). So Evan’s 58 yard punt was actually well over 70 yards in the air from where he hit it! Evan also hit a 4.72 second hang time ball on Day 1 and connected on two 54 yard competition punts on Day 2 as well.

Four of the Top 10 participants on Day 1 Punt Charting were already on the Hot Prospect List entering the weekend. Eight new guys from the Top 20 were added to the List making Day 1’s Top 20 Punt participants now comprised of 14 Hot Prospects.

Top 10 Punters (Day 1):

  • Evan O’Connell (2022 – Ohio) winner
  • Lucas Burrell (2022 – California)
  • Keegan McDermott (2022 – Ohio)
  • Richard Lozano (2022 – California)
  • Cameron Pope (2022 – Washington)
  • Brady Peterson (2023 – Washington)
  • Caden Palmer (2022 – Iowa)
  • Aidan Bonde (2023 – North Carolina)
  • Martin Connington (2024 – Idaho)
  • Bryan Frey (2022 – Georgia)

HS Senior Punter Lucas Burrell finished #2 Overall on Day 1 Punts with the highest hang time average of 4.52 seconds on his 5 punts (4.40, 4.09, 4.75, 5.03, 4.33). The Class of 2022 Punter comes from powerhouse Mater Dei HS in Southern California which is currently ranked the #1 High School football program in the country as per MaxPreps. Last year’s Day two #2 Overall Punter Martin Connington (2024 – Bishop Kelly, ID) finished this year’s Day 1 Punting with the 2nd highest hang time average (4.51 seconds) just 1/100th of a second less than Lucas, but his lower distance average dropped him to 9th overall. It wasn’t his best outing but he’s an underclassman with a very bright punting future; definitely the top Class of 2024 punter we’ve seen to date.

Dax Iverson had the 3rd highest hang time average (4.45 seconds), but with two lower distance punts his placement dropped down to 16th overall. Ian Garcia, the big-legged Senior punter from Foundation Academy in Florida had the 4th highest hang time average of 4.35 seconds, but two low distance punts dropped him to 25th Overall on Day 1. He was nursing a painful leg injury all week but toughed it out and should be commended for still making the trip out to Texas with us. When healthy he would be one of the top punters. If it wasn’t for Lane Feierfeil’s (Day 2’s Overall Punt winner) one mishit punt on Day 1, his #12 overall finish would have been easily in the top 10, if not top 5. He looked rock solid both days with punting and is one of the top overall Class of 2022 punters in the country.

Students finishing at #3 through #6 were very consistent as well – #3 Keegan McDermott (2022 – Ohio) also finished #2 on Day 2), #4 Richard Lozano (2022 – California) also finished #7 on Day 2, #5 Cameron Pope (2022 – Washington) also finished #4 on Day 2, and #6 Brady Peterson (2023 – Washington). There were so many solid punters both days and I’d like to highlight several more but instead please reference the below Day 1 Punt Charting graphic and link to the full stats for every participant.

See how each participant placed on Day 1 – Punt Charting results.

evan o'connell 2022 punterDay 1 Overall Punt Winner (Evan O’Connell – 2022 Ohio)

Field Goal Charting

Day 1’s Field Goal Charting went to Class of 2022 Kicker Beckham Sonnabend from Clarksville Academy in Tennessee. The senior kicker completed the Day 1 ‘FG circuit’ perfectly, making all of his kicks from 30L, 30R, 35L, 35R, 40M, 45M, and 50M; thus earning him bonus kicks in 5 yard increments until a winner could be determined. Beckham made the 55M too and the remaining 6 participants missed theirs so he was the last man standing and secured the win.

Beckham Sonnabend (2022 – Tennessee) winner

We had a 6-Way tie for FG runner-up with the following young men who made perfect kicks through 50 yards but missed their 55 yard attempt (legs tired after a long day of kicking):

The field goal competition is our longest event each day and it takes a lot of fortitude and stamina to go a perfect 7/7 on the guaranteed kicks. Unlike some camps were students are able to get into a rhythm by rapid firing all their kicks in a few minutes, at Kicking World we make it as close to a game-like environment by having breaks between kicks which really tests each camper’s mental toughness & focus; and leg strength/conditioning. Coaches looking for reliable kickers know that the top finishers in our field goal competitions generally excel at the next level as reliable weapons on PAT/FG.

Mauricio Lopez (2022 – John B Alexander HS, TX) and Clayton Amaya (2024 – Smithson Valley HS, TX) not only finished Tied for Overall Runner-up on Day 1, but they both also finished Day 2 Tied for 1st Overall (3-Way Tie) going perfect from 35L, 35R, 40L, 40R, 45M, 50M, 55M, and 60M! The two kickers are excellent under pressure.

This was the second KW camp this season that Mauricio Lopez (2022 – Texas) won the field goal competition with his longest made kick being 60 yards. He is tied for 2nd overall on the 2021 Leaderboard for longest field goal during the regular camp season. Mauricio has a unique FG form and short, punchy follow-through but he’s a big kid with a massive leg (the ball explodes off his foot) and he gets the job done under pressure which is what it comes down to.

Pound for pound, Clayton Amaya (2024 – Texas) had the cleanest looking, most consistent field goals throughout the weekend with every ball jumping off his foot going high, end over end, and dead straight. As he’s still only a sophomore Clayton is tracking toward being one of our best specialists in the last few years. He’s someone that I expect to get early offers as he also has a strong kickoff leg and can punt decently well too. Reference the below Day 1 Field Goal Charting graphic and link to the full stats for every participant.

See how each participant placed on Day 1 – Field Goal Charting results

field goal kickerDay 1 Field Goals (6 Runner-ups, with the Overall Winner on the far right)

beckham sonnabend 2022 kickerDay 1 Overall FG Winner (Beckham Sonnabend – 2022 Tennessee)

Sponsors/Donations – Thank You

Thanks to Mike & Todd at Wizard Sports for the several Wizard Kicking Stix & new college logo football prize donations and for supporting our camps for over 14 years now. Be sure to use our unique KW discount code for Wizard Sports (listed at the bottom of every KW monthly email). If you’re not subscribed you can add your email on the bottom of our website at KickingWorld.com. Thanks to our partner Under Armour for supplying all the camp uniforms again. The other 3 awesome grand prizes – Theragun Mini Massager, Apple Watch, and AirPods Pro are from Kicking World! Special shout out to Zodiac Studios for the great job on the Live Broadcast (Watch the Live replay).

kicking holder footballOne of our Awards tables loaded with several Wizard Kicking Stix prizes for Competition Winners!

DAY 2 ELIMINATION COMPETITIONS

Kickoff Elimination

The last three consecutive years’ Day 2 Overall Kickoff Elimination winners have gone on to earn D1 FBS scholarships at big time football programs. Jared Zirkel (Georgia) hit a winning kick of 68 yards / 3.76 seconds and a best ball of 74 yards / 4.0 seconds in the 2018 event. Two years ago, Vito Calvaruso (Arkansas) who led the entire FBS in kickoff/touchback % this season hit a winning kick & best ball of 80 yards / 4.0 seconds in our 2019 event. In last year’s 2020 event (Clemson commit) Robert Gunn III who signs this Wednesday set a new Showcase record for the best-recorded kickoff ball of 83 yards / 4.13 seconds. His winning kick in the Best Ball final round was 77 yards / 4.03 seconds. He also connected on a 78 yard / 4.30 second hang time bomb earlier in the competition. Robert was out here this weekend hanging out / helping the staff and watching to see if anyone would overtake his kickoff record…

This year Tony Sterner (2022 – Kingwood Park HS, TX) was the man on kickoffs, winning both Day 1 and Day 2 kickoffs, a rare feat. With a Day 2 Best Ball of 82 yards / 3.9 seconds and average of 75 yards / 3.84 seconds he showed he can hang with the best of them from years’ past. We hope Tony can continue the trend and make it 4 consecutive years of Day 2 kickoff elimination winners going on to play at the D1 FBS level!

In the second to last (6th round) we were down to 8 participants – comprised of 5 seniors, 2 juniors, and even 1 freshman. The freshman Joseph Collins (Harmony HS, Florida) turned heads all weekend playing up a few years better than his age hanging with some of the best kickers in the country. The tall, athletic frosh cranked out a 77 yard / 3.91 second Best Ball, and a Day 2 Distance average of 68 yards, wow!

In the Best Ball final (7th) round, it came down to 3 heavy hitters getting 2 attempts to hit their very best ball in a winner take all format. Tony Sterner (2022 – Texas), Keegan McDermott (2022 – Texas), and Bryce Soli (2022 – South Dakota) were the final top dogs. These 3 young men outlasted roughly 90 kickoff participants to finish in the top 3. Only days after the Showcase all 3 of these seniors have received ramped up college interest, with Bryce landing (2) D2 scholarship offers, Tony securing a D3 opportunity and a very promising / potential D1 FCS scholarship offer on the horizon, and Keegan getting much more interest than he had previous to the Showcase weekend. I expect all 3 of these guys to have at least 1 FBS offer by the end of the D1 signing period this spring.

Coming in at #9 but having one of the highest Day 2 Kickoff distance/hang time averages is Keegan Johnson, the 2023 K/P out of Urbana HS in Maryland. The HS Junior was a mere 0.06 seconds off of the required hang time in Round 5 thus ending his kickoff battle a round earlier than the top 8. He finished with a Day 2 distance average of a whopping 76 yards!

Here’s your Top 10 for Day 2 Kickoff Eliminations, with the Top 8 making it to the 6th Round:

  • Tony Sterner (2022 – Texas) winner
  • Keegan McDermott (2022 – Ohio)
  • Bryce Soli (2022 – South Dakota)
  • Ashton Hennie-Roed (2022 – Georgia)
  • Adrian Zamudio (2022 – Texas)
  • Joel Garcia (2023 – Washington)
  • Joseph Collins (2025 – Florida)
  • Reed Malphurs (2023 – Texas)

#9 and #10 were eliminated after Round 5:

  • #9 Keegan Johnson (2023 – Maryland)
  • #10 Nicholas Angerstein (2024 – Texas)

I had several texts during the event with friends, family, and coaches asking what the average height was for this year’s participants. They commented how big they looked on TV. I’d say our juniors & seniors averaged 6’0 / 175 pounds, with several guys over 6’2 and nearly 200 lbs; not typical HS kicker builds by any means. The coaching staff has never seen anything like it in our 14 year camp history. We usually get 1 or 2 big guys at every camp, but not dozens like this year! 85% of the top 30 Day 2 kickoff finishers are on the Kicking World Hot Prospect List and over half of them are proving they are D1 level recruits.

See how each participant placed on Day 2 – Kickoff Elimination results

tony sterner, keegan mcdermott, bryce soliDay 2 Overall Kickoff Top 3 (Pictured Top to Bottom): Tony Sterner – 2022 Texas, Keegan McDermott – 2022 Ohio, Bryce Soli – 2022 South Dakota

Punt Elimination

Three participants really pulled ahead on Day 2 Punts. Lane Feierfeil took the Overall win with an excellent punt average of 50 yards / 4.34 seconds and a monstrous Day 2 Best Ball of 58 yards / 4.75 seconds. In the Final 6th Round (Best Ball) between the final 3 guys his last 2 punts were 59 / 4.47 and 54 / 4.66. Feierfeil also finished Overall Runner-up on Day 1 Field Goals and a high placing on Day 1 Punts. Lane is one of the top punters in the country and should be on your recruiting board and is a definite D1 Punting recruit who can also kick.

The #2 Overall Day 2 Punter Keegan McDermott’s name was drilled into our head all weekend long. He was one of the best all around performers at the 2021 National Showcase. Keegan is a big kid with a big leg. He earned a spot as an ‘On the Cusp’ Hot Prospect at our July Cleveland, Ohio camp but after this weekend’s stellar outing we bumped up his level to D1 and he should be considered one of the best K/P recruits that can do it all with a priority on Kickoff then Punt.

A contender at both our April 2021 Wayne, NJ and July 2021 Toms River, NJ camps earlier this year, Michael Calton stepped it up big time on Day 2. He showed he can get the job done under pressure when it counts. The Class of 2023 Junior from Manalapan HS in New Jersey finished #3 Overall on Day 2 Punts, duking it out with Lane and Keegan in the Final (6th Round) 2 Punt Best Ball. Michael’s Day 2 Best Ball punt was 54 yards / 4.47 seconds and his solid weekend performance earned him a spot on the Kicking World Hot Prospect List.

Last year’s Day 1 Field Goal Champion who has excelled as a Punter at every camp appearance – Cameron Pope (2022 – Eastmont HS, WA) finished #4 Overall on Day 2 Punts with one of the best punts of anyone on Day 2 at 59 yards / 4.72 seconds. His 51 yard Distance average was the highest of anyone on Day 2 edging out Lane by less than half of a yard. Cameron is one of our more consistent overall Prospects and has a very high SAT and GPA and is looking to continue his punting/kicking at a top-tier engineering school in the Pacific NW or Northern/Midwest part of the country.

Day 2 Elimination Significance

What makes Day 2 Kickoff and Punt wins so impressive is the nature of how the Elimination competitions work. On Day 1, students get a chance to kick off 5 balls mostly in a row and later punt 5 balls mostly in a row. On Day 2 however, students get 2 attempts to reach a minimum distance/hang time metric, and if they meet it, they might not kick or punt again for 20-30 minutes later in the early rounds. Not until most of the field is eliminated will they get to string a few kickoffs or punts in a row. Participants finishing at/near the Top on Day 2 means they had the wherewithal, focus, and consistency to outlast 80+ students over a nearly 2-hour battle! This is so important to convey to college recruiting coaches & special teams coaches as our camps closely mimic an actual in-game environment where kicks and punts may be quarters apart. Another very important point to note is that at every National Showcase we use brand new footballs… students don’t get a chance to work in the ball which keeps the competitions and statistics equitable for all.

I’ve talked enough about how exceptional the punting was at this year’s National Showcase so I’ll stop there and direct you to the below Day 2 Punt Elimination graphic and link to the full stats for every participant.

  • Lane Feierfeil (2022 – Iowa) winner
  • Keegan McDermott (2022 – Ohio)
  • Michael Calton (2023- New Jersey)
  • Cameron Pope (2022 – Washington)
  • Keegan Johnson (2023 – Maryland)
  • Jack Bruner (2022 – Texas)
  • Richard Lozano (2022 – California)
  • Lucas Burrell (2022 – California)
  • Braxtyn Green (2023 – Florida)
  • Liam Quigley (2023 – New Jersey)

The above Top 10 made it to the 5th round (44 yard / 4.4 second metric) where only the Top 3 continued on to the Final 6th Round Best Ball.

See how each participant placed on Day 2 – Punt Elimination results

lane feierfeil, keegan mcdermott, michael caltonDay 2 Overall Punt Top 3 (Pictured Top to Bottom): Tony Sterner – 2022 Texas, Keegan McDermott – 2022 Ohio, Bryce Soli – 2022 South Dakota

Field Goal Elimination

The grand finale of our National Showcase, the double-elimination field goal competition is always a long, grueling battle; and this year was no different. Starting at 35 yards the participants take kicks at each hash mark and do it again at 40 yards before proceeding to 45 yards middle and continuing in 5 yard increments down the middle until one man is left standing.

Here are some wow Day 2 Field Goal stats from the 88 field goal participants:

  • 44 kickers made it to 55 yards (50% of the entire field)
  • 25 kickers made it to 60 yards
  • 10 kickers made it to 65 yards
  • 14 kickers were perfect (7/7) through 50 yards
  • 8 kickers were perfect (8/8) through 55 yards
  • The longest made kick was 60 yards (Nick, Mauricio, and Clayton – who all went perfect (9/9) through 60 yards)

Halfway through the Day 2 FG elimination event we brought out a special guest down on the field. The #1 QB in the Class of 2022 Cade Klubnik, the Austin Westlake product and Clemson commit (former Westlake star QBs include Drew Breese, Nick Foles, and Sam Ehlinger). Cade was around to check out the action and support his Westlake HS kicker teammate Mark Sayegh, who leads the nation in points by kicking with a whopping 120/121 PATs & 1 FG for 123 total points through 12/11/21, and future kicker teammate Robert Gunn III, the 2020 National Showcase kickoff & punt champion. Cade and Robert are headed to Clemson in January on full scholarship and will be signing their Letter of Intent this Wednesday.

clemson quarterback & clemson kicker

Clemson Commits – Class of 2022 Quarterback Cade Klubnik, and Class of 2022 Kicker Robert Gunn III with his dad – Bobby Gunn as Showcase participants look on

As if having the best HS Quarterback and Kicker in the country out to this year’s National Showcase wasn’t enough, 2021 Showcase participant – Carsen Crouch’s (2022 – Omaha, NE) father was in attendance. If the last name sounds familiar, you’re correct in thinking Eric Crouch, the 2001 Heisman Trophy Winner who quarterbacked the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He appeared on the cover of popular 2000s era video game system SEGA’s NCAA College Football 2K3! Eric Crouch was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame just 2 days after this year’s Showcase, on December 7, 2021!

Now back to the Field Goal action…

Three Day 2 Field Goal participants rose to the top – Nicholas West (2022 – Medina HS, Ohio), Mauricio Lopez (2022 – John B Alexander HS, TX), and Clayton Amaya (2024 – Smithson Valley HS, TX). The 3 young men were a perfect 9/9 through 60 yards, with their only misses coming at 65 yards after two days of kicking/punting and legs finally tiring out. The kicking was so good that we declared it a 3-Way Tie for Overall Winner(s) of the 2021 National Showcase Day 2 Field Goal Elimination. There was a 7-Way Runner-up (2 of them hit from 60 yards) comprised of 4 seniors, 1 junior, 1 sophomore, and 1 freshman.

Day 2 FG Overall Runner-up (7 Way Tie) listed by class then alphabetically by last name:

  • Jack Bruner (2022 – Texas)
  • Kevin Camelin (2022 – California)
  • Will Carter (2022 – Mississippi)
  • Caden Palmer (2022 – Iowa)
  • Aidan Bonde (2023 – North Carolina)
  • Ethan McBee (2024 – Oklahoma)
  • Daniel Jackson (2025 – Minnesota)

There were so many solid kickers throughout the entire Showcase weekend. Reference the below Day 2 Field Goal Elimination graphic and link to the full stats.

See how each participant placed on Day 2 – Field Goal Elimination results

kicking competitionDay 2 Field Goal Eliminations (last few standing look on for instructions before final 2 rounds)

nick west, mauricio lopez, clay amayaDay 2 Overall FG Champions 3-Way Tie (Pictured Left to Right): Nicholas West – 2022 Ohio, Mauricio Lopez – 2022 Texas, Clayton Amaya – 2024 Texas

New Hot Prospects

Congrats to the following 8 young men who earned spots on the Kicking World Hot Prospect List based on their performances at the 2021 Kicking World National Showcase. Please note, this is ‘fresh off the press’ so to speak, and their profiles are currently being worked on, so if you don’t yet see the info you need for a news article, video story, or for your college recruitment, feel free to contact us.

Class of 2022

Class of 2023

    Class of 2024

    • none

    Class of 2025

    There were an additional 7 students who showed solid ability throughout the weekend but may need to improve their overall consistency or add more distance, hang time, optimize a form/technique component, or other, and they are being added as ‘On the Cusp’ Hot Prospects, which too will receive a profile:

    Class of 2022

    Class of 2023

    Class of 2024

    Class of 2025

    Lastly we have 7 more students selected for ‘Homework’ in form of a video challenge of recording and submitting multiple consecutive kicks/punts for review. By doing so they will have the opportunity to be considered for a spot on the List as an ‘On the Cusp’ Hot Prospect! They will be emailed individually.


    2021 National Showcase Compilation Video


    2021 National Showcase LIVE Replay

    Summary

    This year’s event was not just the largest ever National Showcase in our 14-year camp history, and the 8th installment of the event, but it was also our most talented. There were just so many good kickers and punters collectively. The top ~30% of participants showed they are either ready or could be ready with some minor tweaks/improvements to make it at the FBS or FCS Division 1 level. Based on this weekend and recalling their performances throughout this camp season, I’d say that over 75% of the attendees showed they have the tools to make it to some level of College Football, which is simply remarkable to have that kind of talent pool at one event. We truly had the best kickers and best punters in the nation at the 2021 National Showcase!

    We only invited 120 campers, from the over 1,200 we trained this season, and with a final tally of just under 100 Showcase participants, I feel this year’s attendees did a great job representing roughly the top 5-10% of specialists in the country. What I’m most impressed with is how year after year our staff properly and accurately evaluate talent. Over the next couple of weeks & months we expect maximum traction for our seniors and juniors and offers will continue to be revealed as more coaches are made aware of the phenomenal talent at this year’s event.

    Next season’s camp schedule has already been released and we’ll be embarking on another nationwide camp tour that’ll take us to 30 major cities across 20 states. We look forward to seeing you back on the field in 2022!

    kicking camp texasThanks to our hard working 2021 National Showcase Coaches/Staff – Alex Walls, Pat Davis, Patrick Sandler, Blake Levin, Anthony Brocato, Kapena Kamakawiwoole, Oswaldo Luna, Landon Reeves, Perrin Teer, Coach Acosta, support staff, and Coach Brent Grablachoff

    Recruiting

    If you’re a college football coach I encourage you to thoroughly read through the recap and analyze all of the statistics – Camp Results (events individually linked above) which shows how each camper placed and a summary of class year winners. I urge you to get our Hot Prospects on your radar and recruiting board, and out for in-person official and unofficial visits asap. These are hand-groomed specialists that I believe will be successful in college and beyond. Our selection methodology has proven very accurate over the years with multiple students excelling when it counts (in-game) at the Collegiate and NFL level.

    Parents, Students, and Coaches can check out our Recruiting page for tips & advice that will help get your name out there and allow you the opportunity to take advantage of the several exposure offerings Kicking World provides its students.

    From the entire staff, we thank all who participated this year and we look forward to seeing YOU too at next year’s event!

    2021 National Showcase Media

    Compilation Video
    LIVE Replay
    Competition Results
    Camp Photos