Kicking World Blog

2022 Kicking World National Showcase Recap

by Kicking World owner Brent Grablachoff

The 2022 Kicking World Invite-Only National Showcase took place on December 3-4, 2022 at Del Valle HS in Austin, TX. 74 kickers & punters from 25 states...

2022 National Showcase Aerial Drone View of Campers Warming Up

The 9th installment of the Kicking World National Showcase was another great event in our 15-year camp history. With 74 participants this year, we didn’t invite as many as last year, but the talent pool did not disappoint! As always, thanks to our staff & all involved for helping to keep everything running smoothly. We’re thankful for the graciousness of our host site Del Valle HS, Coach Acosta, and everyone at Del Valle ISD for their hospitality all weekend. Shout out to all of our coaches, staff, videographers, photographers, live broadcast crew, volunteers, 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 74 participants from 25 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, just east of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and minutes to the Lone Star State’s Capitol and Kicking World HQ. These 74 young men were among a select group of only 85 students hand-picked to earn an invitation based on their performances amongst the over 1,200 students we evaluated during the 2022 camp season, putting them in the top ~7% of HS kickers and punters from across the country. While last year was our largest event ever, and this year we didn’t award as many invites, from the 85 invited this season, 74 made the journey, making it the highest attend/invite ratio ever (87%) in the 9 years of our National Showcase!

Our annual event is a tremendous 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. Over 1,000 viewers tuned in to the live broadcast! 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!

Many of the top participants saw new Twitter ‘follows’, DMs, and text messages from coaches they hadn’t previously engaged with. Even a few students got extra exposure through cool news stories & tv segments about their accomplishment of being invited and a follow-up to their performance from the weekend. We expect some new offers & increased interest in our participants after pushing out this blog post to media and college coaches. During and immediately following the early signing period (Dec 21-Dec 23) 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.

kicking showcase live youtube2022 National Showcase Group Shot during the Day 2 live broadcast

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 GST footballs inflated to 11.0 PSI, and it was very chilly & overcast. Even with the brand new footballs, participants were bombing the ball, with multiple kickers hitting 75+ yard balls and hang times over 4 seconds, which is quite remarkable!

HS Senior Ryan Liszner (Class of 2023 Kicker – Clifton HS, NJ) was the dominant kickoff force. He was the Day 1 overall kickoff winner & on Day 2 he finished #2 overall in the kickoff elimination event. He averaged 74 yards / 3.76 seconds on his 5 charted kicks on Day 1. His big ball was 76 yards / 3.91 seconds. In the last 4 consecutive years of our Showcase, each of the kickoff winners went on to earn D1 college football scholarships. We hope to see Ryan get a shot somewhere… as I’m typing this recap blog post, Ryan was just offered a D1 scholarship, so that now makes the last 5 consecutive National Showcase overall kickoff winners to earn a D1 scholarship, wow – Georgia, Arkansas, Texas (Day 1), Clemson, UIW (Day 1 & 2), Wagner (Day 1)! Four of the Top 10 participants on Day 1 KO Charting were already on the Hot Prospect List entering the weekend. Two new guys from the Top 10 were added to the List making Day 1’s Top 10 Kickoff participants comprised of 6 Hot Prospects. The top 10 kickoff guys represented 9 states.

Top 10 Kickoffs (Day 1):

  • Ryan Liszner (2023 – New Jersey) winner
  • Derek Morris (2024 – Ohio)
  • Daniel Deneen Jr. (2023 – South Carolina)
  • Daniel Jackson (2025 – Minnesota)
  • Mitchell Cory (2024 – Missouri)
  • Cole Thompson (2023 – Kentucky)
  • Dax Iverson (2023 – Utah)
  • Ethan McBee (2024 – Oklahoma)
  • Joshua Bingham (2023 – Washington)
  • Zach Wernock (2023 – Ohio)

Of the top 4 charters’ combined kickoffs on Day 1, fourteeen of their 20 total kicks were 70+ yards! We had a lot of big legs on kickoffs on both days of the Showcase. Derek Morris of Bishop Fenwick HS in Ohio (Class of 2024) finished #2 Overall on Day 1 Kickoffs with a best ball kickoff of 77 yards / 4.30 seconds (remarkable) and an impressive 5-kick average of 68.6 yards / 4.02 seconds. Derek was also the overall winner on Day 2 kickoffs.

Rounding out the #3, #4, and #5 spots we had 3 guys with very similar distance/hang averages. New Hot Prospect Daniel Deneen Jr. from St. James HS in South Carolina (Class of 2023) took the #3 spot with a 71.4/3.66 avg (4 of his 5 kickoffs were over 70 yards). In the #4 slot was Daniel Jackson from Alexandria Area HS in Minnesota (Class of 2025) a current Hot Prospect who was added as an 8th grader and currently holds a PWO offer from D1 Univ of Minnesota. His 5-kick average was 71/3.66 with 3 of his kickoffs going over 7o yards. And in the #5 slot was Mitchell Cory from William Chrisman HS in Missouri (Class of 2023). His 5-kick average was 67.6/3.68 and his 5 distances were very consistent at 67, 68, 67, 69, and 67 yards. Mitchell was recognized as an ‘On the Cusp’ participant where we will give him a homework assignment and some tasks to complete for possible inclusion as a Hot Prospect.

A notable participant finishing 8th overall /#2 in his class is Class of 2024 kicker Ethan McBee (Poteau HS, OK), a current Hot Prospect that had the 2nd highest hang time average (3.82 seconds) of anyone on Day 1. He also cranked out a 67 yard kickoff.

There were so many good kickoff stats and it’s tough 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.

ryan liszner kickoffDay 1 Overall Kickoff Winner (Ryan Liszner – 2023 New Jersey)

Punt Charting

The 2022 National Showcase saw some awesome punting numbers. We also had a few participants that attended this year’s showcase only to punt. Day 1 Punt conditions were noted with a +3 Yard Wind Advantage / -0.20 Hang Time Disadvantage and with the dense clouds, overcast weather, and wind at back, not as many punts were turning over, but a few really figured it out! Punts were getting solid distance but hang times suffered slightly. There were however still multiple hang times clocked over 4.6 seconds throughout day 1. Ten of the punters had a ‘best ball’ distance of 50+ yards (net – from the imaginary line of scrimmage). So, from where they started their steps it actually went 65+ yards.

Class of 2023 Punter Ashton Paredes from Northside HS in Georgia led the pack with a 48.4 yards / 4.00 seconds average on Day 1. His best ball was 54/4.32. He hit some really nice punts throughout warmups too and during the bonus segment where I pulled out the top 5 punters to hit some extra punts on video. Ashton’s overall punting and kicking performance both days earned him a spot on our Hot Prospect List.

Taking the #2 spot was Max’Ceon Cobb (Class of 2023) from Jones HS in Florida. He had a 47.2/4.06 average with a best ball of 55 yards. In the #3 spot was Brady Peterson, a current Hot Prospect (Class of 2023) from Emerald Ridge HS in Washington. He had one mis hit that skewed his average, but countered that with a monster 58 yard / 4.54 second punt which equaled the distance of last year’s Day 1 big ball and beat the hang of it by 0.13 seconds greater. 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 Brady’s 58 yard punt was actually well over 70 yards in the air from where he hit it!

Two of the Top 10 participants on Day 1 Punt Charting were already on the Hot Prospect List entering the weekend. Four new guys from the Top 10 were added to the List making Day 1’s Top 10 Punt participants now comprised of 6 Hot Prospects. The top 10 punt guys represented 9 states.

Top 10 Punters (Day 1):

  • Ashton Paredes (2023 – Georgia) winner
  • Max’Ceon Cobb (2023 – Florida)
  • Brady Peterson (2023 – Washington)
  • Derek Morris (2024 – Ohio)
  • Braxtyn Green (2023 – Florida)
  • Gregory Motorny (2024 – Massachusetts)
  • Brett Starling (2023 – Virginia)
  • Quinton Stone (2024 – Tennessee)
  • Tyler Antle (2024 – Kansas)
  • Daniel Deneen Jr. (2023 – South Carolina)

Rounding out the top 5 we had at #4 New Hot Prospect Derek Morris (Class of 2024) from Bishop Fenwick HS in Ohio. He was the best overall performer across all phases this weekend and finished in the top 3 on multiple events. On Day 1 punts Derek had a 45/4.68 best ball and averaged 4.28 seconds putting him at the highest Day 1 punt hang time average. If it wasn’t for his one mishit that went 3.68 seconds his numbers would have put him even higher. And in the #5 spot is long-time and loyal KW student, and current Hot Prospect Braxtyn Green (Class of 2023) from Suwannee HS in Florida. The senior has always been seen as a kicker, but in the last 2 years, he’s proved his punting prowess. He consistently hit dart punts (tight spiral, boring trajectory balls that penetrated through the air). His hang average was on the lower side of the top 10 at 3.83 seconds, but his distance average was the 4th highest at 44.8 yards. He does a great job of hitting directional punts that spiral to specific spots out of bounds helping to eliminate a return.

There were many solid punters on 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.

ashton paredes punterDay 1 Overall Punt Winner (Ashton Paredes – 2023 Georgia)

Field Goal Charting

Day 1’s Field Goal Charting ended up being a 2-way tie between long-time KW Hot Prospect Dax Iverson (Class of 2023) from Fremont HS in Utah & new Hot Prospect Derek Morris (Class of 2024) from Bishop Fenwick HS in Ohio. The kicker duo completed the Day 1 ‘FG circuit’ perfectly, making all of their kicks from 30L, 30R, 35L, 35R, 40M, 45M, and 50M; thus earning them bonus kicks in 5 yard increments until a winner could be determined. Both Dax and Derek also made their 55 and 60 yard kicks going a perfect 9/9 through 60 yards. too and the remaining 6 participants missed theirs so he was the last man standing and secured the win.

Overall Winner (tie)

Dax Iverson (2023 – Utah)
Derek Morris (2024 – Ohio)

The following 2 young men made perfect kicks through 55 yards (8/8) but missed their 60 yard attempt and finished tied for overall runner-up on field goal charting for Day 1.

FG Runner-up (tie)

Braxtyn Green (2023 – Florida)
Ashton Paredes (2023 – Georgia)

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. I believe this year’s camp had the most ever % of students making it perfect through 50 yards (15 participants – which is nearly 25% of the field). Unlike some camps where 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.

Dax Iverson, the HS Senior kicker from Utah who recently earned a PWO offer from Utah and has since verbally committed, won Day 1 field goals (tie), and was the overall winner on Day 2 field goals as well. He has won multiple KW field goal events and has shown consistency and reliability as a place kicker. Other big D1 colleges have been showing increased interest in Dax and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets another offer or two soon (perhaps even a scholarship) to make things interesting. Derek Morris, the HS Junior kicker who had arguably the best all-around performance collectively through the weekend finished tied with Dax on Day 1 and overall runner-up on Day 2 field goals. He’s definitely someone who will be getting significant interest from colleges very soon, even with him still only being a junior.

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

kicker - derek morris, dax iverso, braxtyn green, ashton paredesDay 1 FG Overall Winner (Tie) & Runner-up (Tie) – (L to R – Derek Morris, Dax Iverson, Braxtyn Green, Ashton Paredes)

dax iverson kicker - derek morris kickerDay 1 Overall FG Winners (Dax Iverson- 2023 Utah & Derek Morris – 2024 Ohio)

Sponsors/Donations – Thank You

Thanks to Mike & Todd at Wizard Sports for the several Wizard Kicking Stix & new footballs prize donations and for supporting our camps for over 15 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 – XBox Series X, Meta Oculus Quest 2, and Nintendo Switch are from Kicking World! Thanks to Tony our awesome photographer, and a special shout out to Stef, Troy, and Adolfo for doing a great last minute job filling in to help pull off our Live Broadcast (Watch the Live replay).

kicking awardsAwards tables loaded with Wizard Kicking Stix, new footballs, and grand prizes for Competition Winners!

DAY 2 ELIMINATION COMPETITIONS

Kickoff Elimination

The last four consecutive years’ Day 2 Overall Kickoff Elimination winners have gone on to earn D1 scholarships at big-time football programs. In 2018 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. In 2019 Vito Calvaruso (Arkansas) who led the entire FBS in kickoff/touchback % his freshman season hit a winning kick & best ball of 80 yards / 4.0 seconds in our 2019 event. In our 2020 event (Clemson) Robert Gunn III set a 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. In the same 2020 event, the Day 1 kickoff winner Will Stone got a scholarship at (Texas). And last year in the 2021 eventTony Sterner (UIW) won 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.

This year’s Day 2 kickoff winner Derek Morris is a Class of 2024 junior so we don’t know yet where he will land but we hope Derek can continue the trend and make it 5 consecutive years of Day 2 kickoff elimination winners going on to play at the D1 FBS level! The Day 1 kickoff winner Ryan Liszner finished #2 overall on Day 2 and is a senior, and received a D1 scholarship offer earlier this week and a D2 scholarship offer yesterday. Ryan technically had the highest ‘score’ (by a slim margin) for his cumulative kickoff distance – 67.88 yards versus Derek’s 67.50 yards, and their hang time averages were exactly the same at 3.95. Since Ryan did not hit his metric in the final 6th round and because Derek was the only one of the final 5 participants to hit the metric, Derek was declared the overall winner for Day 2, Ryan finished #2, and the remaining 3 guys in the final round finished #3, #4, and #5.

In the last (6th round) we were down to 5 participants – comprised of 3 seniors, 1 junior, and 1 sophomore. Coming in at #3 overall was long-time KW student & Hot Prospect Dax Iverson (Class of 2023) from Fremont HS in Utah who was also the Day 2 Overall FG winner and Day 1 Overall FG winner (2-way tie). He looked great all weekend and shows why he’s received D1 opportunities.

Finishing #4 Overall on Day 2 Kickoffs was Daniel Jackson from Alexandria Area HS in Minnesota (Class of 2025). The Hot Prospect also finished 4th on Day 1 kickoffs. He showed a ton of kickoff consistency all weekend and has always been a reliable field goal kicker too. He currently holds a PWO offer from the University of Minnesota.

In the #5 spot was newly added Hot Prospect Daniel Deneen Jr. from St. James HS in South Carolina (Class of 2023). The HS senior kicker also finished #3 overall on Day 1 kickoffs, and #3 overall on Day 2 punts. He looked solid on both kicking & punting all weekend. Definitely one of the top Class of 2023 combo specialists out there.

A notable performer on Day 2 kickoffs and coming in at our #6 Overall spot is Ian Walsh (Class of 2024) from Avon Lake HS in Ohio. He had the 3rd highest technical score of all participants on Day 2, but as his last round was 5 and it took going 6 rounds to win it, he came in at #6. Ian caught our attention and was mentioned at the event of the event as an ‘On the Cusp’ guy meaning he showed glimmers of elite-level field goals/kickoffs all weekend and we will be giving him homework and a few tasks to complete to possibly consider him for a spot on our Hot Prospect List.

Here’s your Top 10 for Day 2 Kickoff Eliminations, with the Top 5 making it to the Final 6th Round and #6 through #10 all making it to the next to last 5th round.

Top 10 Kickoffs (Day 2):

  • Derek Morris (2024 – Ohio) winner
  • Ryan Liszner (2023 – New Jersey)
  • Dax Iverson (2023 – Utah)
  • Daniel Jackson (2025 – Minnesota)
  • Daniel Deneen Jr (2023 – South Carolina)
  • Ian Walsh (2024 – Ohio)
  • Joshua Bingham (2023 – Washington)
  • Joel Garcia (2023 – Washington)
  • Joseph Collins (2025 – Florida)
  • Zach Wernock (2023 – Ohio)

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

Day 2 Overall Kickoff Winner: Derek Morris – 2024 Bishop Fenwick HS, OH

Punt Elimination

Four participants really pulled ahead on Day 2 Punts. Gregory Motorny (Class of 2024) from Marblehead HS in Massachusetts took the Overall win with a punt average of 41.8 yards / 4.34 seconds and a best ball of 46 yards / 4.56 seconds. Greg was the only participant to make it through the 5th round metric. The only 3 guys who made it into round 5, did not hit their metric, finishing at #3, #4, and #5. Greg also finished #6 overall on Day 1 punt charting and looked good on field goals all weekend too. Because of his impressive weekend performance and upbeat attitude we put him on the Hot Prospect List.

Taking the #2 spot is newcomer Ty Tomek (Class of 2024) from Hallettsville ISD in Texas. I say newcomer because he’s recently taken up private lessons with me and has attended a couple of our camps this season. Initially, he was focused mostly on kicking but after working with him he showed punting is his greatest strength. I was proud of his performance on Day 2, fishing with a best ball 46/4.25 and hitting all but one of his punts 4.2-4.3 seconds. He showed a lot of consistency on punts and could be someone to watch over this next year. He’s got the prototypical punter build at approximately 6’4 / 200.

In the #3 and #4 spots respectively are 2 new Hot Prospects who looked good all weekend. Daniel Deneen Jr. (#3) and Ashton Paredes (#4). I’ve said a bunch about them already so we will keep this section shorter and just acknowledge their placement. And at the #5 spot was Mitchell Cory (Class of 2023) from William Chrisman HS in Missouri who showed a ton of consistency all weekend across the board – on FG/KO/P. He also finished #5 on Day 1 Kickoffs. He was one of the participants recognized as an ‘On the Cusp’ student where we will give him a homework assignment and some tasks to complete for possible inclusion as a Hot Prospect. We expect Mitchell to have a Hot Prospect profile up and running by next week. He was super close to earning it on the spot.

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 70+ 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.

The below Top 10 made it to the 4th round and only the Top 4 continued onto the Final 5th Round (44 yard / 4.4 seconds metric) and Gregory Motorny was the only participant to hit his 5th round metric.

Top 10 Punters (Day 2):

  • Gregory Motorny (2024 – Massachusetts) winner
  • Ty Tomek (2024 – Texas)
  • Daniel Deneen Jr (2023 – South Carolina)
  • Ashton Paredes (2023 – Georgia
  • Mitchell Cory (2023 – Missouri)
  • Daniel Arroyo (2023 – California)
  • Kyle Frick (2023 – Washington)
  • Cole Thompson (2023 – Kentucky)
  • Derek Morris (2024 – Ohio)
  • Brady Peterson (2023 – Washington)

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

Day 2 Overall Punt Winner: Gregory Motorny – 2024 Marblehead HS, MA

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.

One Day 2 Field Goal participant rose to the top – Dax Iverson (2023 – Fremont HS, UT). He was a perfect 7/7 through 55 yards, with his only miss coming at 60 yards after two days of kicking/punting and legs finally tiring out. Dax finished off his Kicking World HS career with six Golden Boots (field goal competition wins) at our camps – simply incredible. He won the field goal competition at almost every KW event he attended. He was the outright Overall Winner of the 2022 National Showcase Day 2 Field Goal Elimination and was tied for the Overall win on Day 1 Field Goal Charting. I can’t wait to see how Dax does in college and expect him to be a weapon that helps his team win multiple games in his career.

Day 2 FG Overall Winner:

Day 2 FG Overall Runner-up (3 Way Tie):

From the Day 2 overall runner-up pool, Derek Morris was also tied for the overall Day 1 FG win and Braxtyn was tied for the overall runner-up on Day 1 FG.

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

Day 2 Overall Field Goal Champion: Dax Iverson – 2023 Fremont HS, UT

New Hot Prospects

Congrats to the following 4 young men who earned spots on the Kicking World Hot Prospect List based on their performances at the 2022 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 2023

Class of 2024

    Class of 2025/26

    • none

      There were an additional 4 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. They were selected for ‘Homework’ in form of a video challenge of recording and submitting multiple consecutive kicks/punts for review and me reviewing their recent season’s in-game highlight video and in-game stats. By doing so they will have the opportunity to be considered for a spot on the List!

      Class of 2023

      • Mitchell Cory (Missouri)
      • Cole Thompson (Kentucky)
      • Brett Starling (Virginia)

      Class of 2024

      • Ian Walsh (Ohio)

      Class of 2025/26

        • none

        As a side note – we anticipate adding in more Class of 2024 and 2025 prospects this off-season. There were a few others who were close and with steady training/improvements we see at least 6 new people being added ahead of the 2023 camp season before March 2023.


        2022 National Showcase Compilation Video


        2022 National Showcase LIVE Replay

        Summary

        This year’s event was the 9th installment of the National Showcase, with 74 participants. We did not invite as many students as we did last year, however, the talent pool was top-notch. I’m very thrilled with the overall numbers across both days. The cloudy & overcast skies and cool weather definitely reduced some power but overall the campers did great. The top ~20% 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 70% of the attendees showed they have the tools to make it to some level of College Football, which is awesome to have that level of talent at one event.

        We only invited 85 campers, from the over 1,200 we trained this season, and with a final tally of 74 Showcase participants (87% attend/invite ratio – highest ever), 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 exceptional performances at this year’s event.

        Next season’s camp schedule has already been released and we’ll be going on another nationwide camp tour that’ll take us to 32 major cities across 25 states. We look forward to seeing you on the field in 2023!

        kicking coachesThanks to our hard-working 2022 National Showcase Coaches/Staff – Alex Walls, Pat Davis, Brandon Cunningham, Blake Levin, Kapena Kamakawiwoole, Landon Reeves, Aiden Brown, Mauricio Lopez, 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!

        2022 National Showcase Media

        Compilation Video
        LIVE Replay
        Competition Results
        Camp Photos