Former Texas kicker Justin Tucker has released a YouTube video that shows him making 10 straight field goals from different distances at Royal-Memorial Stadium. The video, which has gotten more than 500 views, shows Tucker shagging his own balls over five minutes, with no takes, according to a story in the Austin Statesman.

After he booms his last kick through the goalposts, which looks to be from about 55 yards, Tucker walks past the camera and says "Pick me."

The Westlake grad is the latest in a long line of great kickers at Texas. He's hoping to get drafted, though history suggests the odds aren't in his favor. Nebraska's Alex Henery was the only placekicker selected last season, and none went in 2010.

AUSTIN, Texas — Eventually a game and a season will come down to a kick.

There was Kris Stockton against Texas A&M in 1998. Four seasons later Dusty Mangum hit a 27-yarder to beat No. 17 Kansas State in 2002. Controversy swirled around Hunter Lawrence’s 46-yarder in the 2009 Big 12 Championship game, but the quality of the kick could not be argued. And, not enough time has passed or may ever pass for people to forget Justin Tucker’s 40-yarder to beat Texas A&M one final time in 2011.

Over Mack Brown’s 14 years, there have been eight game-winning field goals made. None have been missed. Of course it could be argued any field goal missed in a close loss is a game-losing field goal. For instance, Mangum missing from 49 in the third quarter in the 39-37 loss to Colorado in 2001 could be considered a miss that changed the game.

But when the clock is at less than two minutes and the game is on the line, Brown’s kickers have never missed.

Now Texas is missing a kicker. Missing might be a tad strong. There are two enrolled right now. It’s just that neither has ever attempted a field goal in a game. And both Ben Pruitt and Will Russ are struggling in spring practice.

“We are not going to have the experience that we have had, but we have kicked with a lot of young kickers before,” Brown said.

True enough. But Texas has only had one true freshman kicker in the Brown era. That was Mangum in 2001. (Lawrence handled kickoffs as a true freshman.)

Now with the prospects on campus not panning out, Texas could be looking to true freshman Nick Jordan to take over as the field goal kicker.

Jordan has the credentials. He was considered one of the top five kickers in the country, played in the U.S. Army All-American game and missed only five field goals in high school.

“We saw him kick out on a 60-plus-yard field goal, and he pulled it a little bit left,” Brown said. “But so we have seen him with a very strong leg.”

Jordan might be better served with nerves of steel.

Unlike Mangum, who was surrounded by experienced talent and was a happy observer of many blowout wins his freshman year in 2001, Jordan could be involved in several key situations in several key games.

While Texas’ offense might be better in 2012, expecting it to take a quantum leap from the lowly levels of 2011 is, well, taking an equally large leap of faith. This, after all, was an offense that was 107th in red zone offense last season. In 53 trips it only had 27 touchdowns. (The offense in 2001 scored 38 touchdowns on 58 trips into the red zone.) That leaves a lot of room for field goals. Which, in turn, places a lot of pressure on a true freshman’s shoulders.

Mangum, who did not have the credentials of Jordan, handled it as well as could be expected. He was 18-of-26 in 2001. His only crucial misses were the aforementioned one against Colorado. (He made three others in that game.) In the only other loss that season, Mangum had a 35-yard attempt blocked in the second quarter against Oklahoma.

If Pruitt or Russ don’t straighten out their issues, and kicks, this spring or over the summer, Jordan could be thrown into similar pressure-packed situations just a month after he starts practice with the Longhorns in August.

By Chris Fontanazza / Metro News

Soon the Mountaineers will officially add a 28^th member to their 2012 recruiting class. kicker Josh Lambert from Garland High School (TX) committed to West Virginia University the day after National Signing Day and will soon be faxing his signed letter of intent to the Mountaineer coaching staff.

Lambert is a 2-star kicker by Scout.com and comes from a high school that has produced a lot of solid kickers in the NCAA, including former Ray Guy Award winner and Oklahoma State kicker Matt Fodge. Garland head football coach Jeff Jordan says his program has been grateful to have had so many great kickers and Lambert is one of the best they’ve had.

“We’ve been really lucky,” stated Jordan. “We’ve had a lot of really good kickers come through over the years. Josh is right up there with any of them that have come through. We had a kid kick for us that went to [Texas] A&M and Fodge went to Oklahoma State.”

Lambert’s decision to choose the Mountaineers happened very quickly. Throughout the recruiting process he was never on WVU’s radar. For that matter he didn’t even kick at any of WVU’s camps. It’s very rare for a school to sign a kicker without watching him kick live.

“It’s very different because everybody watches the video and people will come watch them in games and this was so strange by West Virginia,” explained Jordan. “Almost everyone tells the kickers and punters they’re not going to offer them until they can actually see them kick in person.”

WVU’s coaching staff took Jordan sight unseen after receiving seeral recommendations. Then shortly after National Signing Day Lambert had a scholarship offer from West Virginia.

“It came out of the blue,” said Jordan. “Josh had been getting looks from several people and he had offers from several smaller schools.”

“From my understanding it all came down one Thursday afternoon,” Jordan said. “They called last week and said ‘Hey look we may have something open, but we don’t know how it’s going to play out' and all of that stuff. But lo and behold it popped open and everything came down after signing day.”

Lambert did have scholarship offers from many Division II schools, Louisiana Tech was interested, but wanted him to gray shirt and both Oklahoma and Texas A&M wanted him to walk-on. West Virginia was by far the best offer he had and he will compete for kickoffs, kicking and punting.

punting is the area WVU needs the most help in. There were times last season when West Virginia’s punters looked atrocious. WVU ranked dead last in the conference and at one point of the season the Mountaineers were ranked dead last in the nation in net punting.

The Texas native has had a very successful career at Garland. During his junior year he kicked a school record 53-yard field goal. He also has three career field goals of 50-plus yards and eight career field goals of 47-plus yards.

Jordan and the rest of the Garland coaching staff are very happy Lambert is heading to West Virginia and their reputation of sending kickers to the Division I level continues. Jordan also feels Lambert will fit right in with the rest of the football team.

“The other kids down here love him and they just consider him to be part of the team,” said Jordan. “You know how sometimes kickers are a little separate from everybody else, but Josh has never been like that.”

It’s still unknown when Lambert will arrive in Morgantown because he’s still getting everything finalize with his scholarship and letter of intent, but Jordan said Lambert will be in Morgantown in time for fall camp, if not earlier.

By Jerry Michalsky / The Vindicator

Dayton High School kicker Juan Carranco broke the Texas state record Friday night in the Broncos' loss to Manvel in the Class 4-A Region III Division II playoffs at Deer Park.

With 5:20 left in the fourth quarter the junior kicker/punter split the uprights with a 26-yard field goal for his 21st field goal of the season.

The previous high for field goals in a season was 20 by Hunter Lawrence of Boerne, Tex. He went on to play for the University of Texas.

Carranco had a career-high five field goals in the Broncos' opening-round win against Port Neches-Groves.

He then kicked two more field goals in Dayton's second-round win over Magnolia West before hitting his eighth of the playoffs against Manvel to break the record.

Carranco's 285 points for his career and 39 field goals for his Bronco career rank fourth all-time in Texas history.

Tomas Sanchez has the record with 48 while he was with Fort Worth Arlington Heights.

Carranco will need 10 field goals in his senior season to shatter that record.

His 168 extra points are tied for ninth place all-time. Celina's Jarrod Martin has the record with 227.

MARK ROSNER / American Statesman

Justin Tucker sings opera in the shower, has rapped with Sergio Kindle and once developed such a fondness for soccer shoes that his mother likened him to Imelda Marcos.

Other than that, Texas' place kicker/punter is not much different from other Longhorns football players.

"Quirky. That's a good word for him," offensive guard David Snow said.

Tucker is one of the best kickers around. The senior from Westlake has converted 10 of his 11 field goal attempts, including a personal-best 52-yarder against Kansas last Saturday. His 90.9 percent accuracy mark ranks second in the Big 12.

As a punter, Tucker averages a pedestrian 39.9 yards, seventh-best in the league, with the rugby style approach he uses. But the average return against Texas has been a mere 2.2 yards.

Tucker kicks in bright orange Nike soccer shoes that at least one teammate appreciates.

"I'll maybe try to steal a pair," cornerback Carrington Byndom said. "I would definitely wear them."

Mack Brown does not necessarily favor those shoes, but the Longhorns coach would never say that to Tucker.

"I'm not going to mention shoes to a kicker that's making kicks," Brown said. "I would be the reason that he missed, because he changed shoes."

Tucker said he would wear black and white shoes, but the model he prefers is only available in bright colors.

"A lot of soccer players are a bit flashier," said Tucker, who played the sport until he was 15. "They might wear the purple and the fluorescent green. I get told by members of the officiating crews that 'we keep running after your feet because we think they are penalty flags.'"

Tucker's mother, Michelle, says Justin's passion for soccer boots reminded her of Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines famous for her shoe collection.

"In high school, I called him Imeldo Marco, the male version," Michelle Tucker said. "I had to hide the Eurosport magazine or throw it away. He'd want to order four pairs."

Not that Tucker is shallow. Indeed, he gives legitimacy to the term student-athlete. He's a music recording technology major who makes good grades, plays several instruments and writes songs.

He auditioned for admittance to his major by performing opera.

Tucker has bonded with teammates by rapping, including in a group that included Kindle, a former star at defensive end and linebacker.

But it's the opera that caught linebacker Emmanuel Acho's attention.

"He's weird, singing in the shower. But he's got a leg on him," Acho said. "He hit from 52, so more power to him. I don't care what he does if he keeps kicking like that."

Tucker's sister Samantha, a sophomore on the Texas women's swimming team, said she is impressed with how her older brother handles one of the occupational hazards of his job.

"There is a lot of pressure," Samantha Tucker said. "If you miss one kick, everyone hates you. If you make it, that's what you are supposed to do."

Tucker handles kickoffs along with punting, field goals and extra points. That's why the staff offered Tucker extra time off to rest when the Longhorns had two weeks between games against Oklahoma State and Kansas.

"We asked him to do nothing except tune up and make sure he got his energy back," Brown said.

Tucker responded with the 52-yarder against Kansas.

"I love to play every snap, every kick of every game," Tucker said. "But during the course of a season, I might lose a couple of yards here or there. I noticed, even after just a few days of limiting the number of hits, it helped out tremendously. Right now I feel I'm hitting the best ball I've ever hit."

And that's something to sing about.

By Michael Sudhalter / Bellaire News

Yannis Minetos stepped on to Hotze Field at Granger Stadium with confidence.

It didn’t matter that the St. Thomas High first-year varsity kicker was faced with a task that many National Football League kickers could not accomplish.

The Eagles senior wanted the opportunity to attempt a 58-yard field goal, and the coaches gave it to him.

“It’s good that the coaches trust and believe in me,” Minetos said. “It was nice for letting me try that.”

Minetos missed the kick, but his confidence was still intact. His longest field goal in a game was 41 yards and enjoyed a successful 70-yard field goal in practice.

“He’s doing great,” St. Thomas head football coach Donald Hollas said. “He got caught behind a good (kicker) in Beau Brady (for three years.)”

Brady graduated and now is the starting kicker for Millsaps College in Tenn.

Minetos, who began kicking during his freshman year at St. Thomas, has quickly made the adjustment to the varsity level. He handles field goals, PATs and kickoffs for the Eagles.

“It’s kind of different than JV,” Minetos said. “There’s a lot more people. It’s louder. You kind of zone it out and just kick.”

The Eagles (1-2) will visit UIL Class 4A, Santa Fe (2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.

Like many kickers, Minetos grew up “where you try to kick it under the goalpost” in soccer, but the opportunity presented itself to join the football team when he arrived in high school.

He’s learned a great deal about kicking from Nick Gatto, a former Klein High and Arena Football League kicker who owns and operates Fourth & Ten kicking and punting.

“He’s helped me out tremendously,” Minetos said. “He’s really elevated my kicking game to the next level.”

Minetos, who has straight As at St. Thomas, hopes to play college football, but he doesn’t expect to know about a school until February.

Kickers, punters and long snappers are often the last ones to receive scholarship offers.

Minetos knows he’d like to study Biology/Pre-Medicine with plans of becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon.

“I want to work with athletes and be on the sideline of professional sporting events,” said Minetos, who’s only superstition is that he never holds the field goal tee before a kick.

He’s never been in a situation where he’s been called upon to make the game-winning kick, but that could change this fall.

The Eagles and rival, St. Pius X (0-3), meet twice this season, and they’re both expected to contend for the TAPPS Division I, District III Championship.

“Everyone hopes to be in a situation where they’re the hero of the game,” Minetos said. “I think we’ll do very well in district. We’ve improved a lot over the last year. We’re going to win district and go far in the playoffs.”

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Competition results from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp in the Dallas area on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Long Distance Field Goal High School: Ron Reid, 58 yards

Long Distance Kickoff: Ryan Parker, 82 yards (national record), 3.63

Hang Time Punt: Timothy Willett, 35 yards, 4.37

Out of Bounds Punt Right: Alex Pappas

Out of Bounds Punt Left: Christopher Wier

Fastest Single Snap: Fred McClimans, 0.74

Most Accurate Snapper: Fred McClimans, 22 of 30

TOP PROSPECTS

Fred McClimans, long-snapper, 2012

Patrick Sohrt, punter-kicker, 2012

Michael Sylvester, punter-kicker, 2013

Ryan Parker, kicker, 2012

Ron Reid, kicker, 2014

Christian Madrigal, kicker/punter, 2012

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

HOUSTON, Tex. – Dusty Mangum’s star in Texas will never dull.

It’s been six years since he kicked the Longhorns into the history books with a 37-yard field goal to defeat Michigan 38-37 in the 2005 Rose Bowl.

The kick not only gave the Longhorns their first BCS bowl victory, it also vaulted him into celebrity status.

Such is the life of a kicker.

Make the kick and be a star. Miss the kick and be forgotten.

Mangum nailed it, making his last kick as a Texas Longhorn one for the storybook.

“It’s something kids dream about playing in the back yard,” said Mangum who these days is a business intelligence consultant. “Never as a person do you think you’ll be in that situation. It’s either good or bad; you’re a hero or a zero. I was lucky enough to be prepared.”

With the game on the line, Texas Coach Mack Brown’s words to his kicker were the stuff of legend. Brown told his senior kicker: “You’re the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl.”

Mangum said Brown’s words of encouragement translated into confidence for him.

“You really don’t expect to hear that from a coach,” he said. “You expect to hear ‘Keep your head down, kick it straight.’ For him to say that to me, in that situation, was a positive accomplishment from Coach Brown. He respected me and showed the faith he had in me. I went out there with a positive attitude of want I needed to do.”

The Longhorns trailed 37-35 and Michigan’s defensive front came hard after Mangum’s kick, even tipping the ball, but it still had enough power to split the uprights and give Texas the triumph in the Rose Bowl.  That victory helped set the tone for what would be a national championship season in 2006 when Texas defeated USC in the Rose Bowl.

Mangum had already graduated but his place in Longhorn history makes him a celebrity in the state that loves in football maybe more than any other.

Mangum’s last kick opened doors for him.

President George W. Bush called Brown to congratulate him on the victory and to make sure he knew that he watched the entire game, including Mangum’s last kick that set off bedlam in the Rose Bowl – and in Texas.

Mangum appeared on radio and television programs and was honored by the Mesquite Independent School District (where he is from). He also had autograph signings at Texas bookstores.

Mangum’s story as to how he ended up at Texas is not unlike what many kickers go through. He was a preferred walk-on with the Longhorns.

“I came in during (summer) two-a-days and had to get to school on my own,” he said. “It’s all about getting the job done, kind of like life. It’s all about performing. I didn’t have a school that I clung to or anything. I was a college football fan and wanted to kick in college. It so happened the opportunity with Texas came up. It was the best one for me.”

And the Longhorns.

Mangum achieved many honors during his days at Texas although he wasn’t selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.

However, he is third on Texas’ all-time scoring list with 358 points and ranks first among Longhorn kickers. He made 121 consecutive PATS, a school record, and had two of the top 10 scoring seasons on record. Mangum was the nation’s fourth-leading active career scorer.

Now that he’s removed from playing days, Mangum stays involved with the kicking game as an instructor for the Prokicker.com / Ray Guy kicking Academy. He’s been involved with the camp since 2002.

“It’s a great avenue for a high school kid,” he said. “A lot of times on the high school level you may not have a coach who has great kicking knowledge. We help them know how to kick. We want them to be their own coaches. When you go back to practice, you are your own coach.”

Mangum said his experience as a young player included kicking camps and none were better than the Prokicker.com, which relies on heavy instruction from former college and professional kickers, punters and long-snappers.

“It’s all about making your own opportunity,” he said. “If you want to play Division I football, come to this camp. It will make you a better kicker.”

He saw some outstanding kickers in the first Prokicker.com camp of the season last weekend in Houston. Patrick Sohrt and Christian Madrigal, both from Texas, showed off their powerful legs on kickoffs, punts and field goals.

“There are a couple of pretty strong legs,” he said. “It’s fun to coach up these kids. They’re very receptive to what we’re telling them.”

Mangum appreciates the chance to stay involved with kicking and maybe pass on something that will make one of these campers the next celebrity kicker.

It can happen. Mangum knows that firsthand.

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com Editor

WOODLANDS, Tex. - The inaugural Ray Guy/Prokicker.com national camp high school rankings are out following last weekend’s competition in Houston at The Woodlands High School.

Patrick Sohrt, Christian Madrigal, Anthony Bruno and Weston Gray were among the top kickers in the camp while Sohrt, Madrigal and Tyler Engelbart were the top punters.

Sohrt boomed a camp record 78-yard kickoff and had an average kickoff distance of 68.5 to lead the kickers. He was followed by Bruno, who had a best of 63 yards and averaged 58. Gray was anked third after averagein 59.75 with a best kick of 69 yards.

Sohrt and Bruno tied for the best hangtime on kickoffs at 4.04. Bruno and Gray’s field goal accuracy was 70 percent while Sohrt’s was 60 percent.

The top punter rankings had Sohrt, Madrigal and Englebert. Sohrt and Madrigal boomed 47-yard punts. Sohrt’s average distance was 37.5 while Madrigal’s was 36.10. Sohrt average hangtime was 4.33 with a best of 4.75.

The top three long-snappers are Clark Gardner, Traves Liles and Zachary Dunn.

Sohrt, Madrigal and Gray were the top kicker-punter combos and the top punter/kickoff specialists as well. Sohrt, Madrigal and Bruno were 1-2-3 in kickoff specialists.

Other individual awards:

Fastest single snap - Zach Dunn

Hangtime punt - Patrick Sohrt

Out of bounds punt winners – Zach Rosenberg (L) and Marshall Legard (R)

Long distance field goal - Ryan Parker

Long distance kickoff - Patrick Sohrt

Most accurate snapper - Zach Dunn

The next prokicker.com kicking camp will be May 7-8 in Bradenton, Fla. Go to prokicker.com for early registration.

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com Editor

WOODLANDS, Tex. – When Christian Madrigal visualizes his future, he sees his brother.

Madrigal’s 12-year-old brother Nicholas was injured in an ATV accident 18 months ago and serves as motivation for the 18-year-old kicker.

“He wants to see me in the NFL,” Madrigal said. “He’s my drive, he’s why I’m doing it.”

Young Nicholas was in ICU for about six months following the accident but is much improved, his big brother reports.

“He’s doing way better, running, talking, all that,” Madrigal said. “But I still want to make it for him.”

Madrigal’s strong right leg could take him places. He’s 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds and powerfully built. His kickoffs sail consistently in the end zone and his field goal distance and accuracy makes him a top college prospect.

He was one of the top prospects at the Ray Guy/Prokicker.com kicking Academy over the weekend Woodlands, Tex., in the Houston area. Madrigal’s kicks had everyone at the camp impressed with his leg strength. He’s also a capable punter who gets good hang time on his kicks.

Madrigal, who is from Luskin, Tex., has played varsity high school football for four years. He transferred to Luskin during his freshman season and ended up a starter at kicker the next season. He has a long field goal of 59 yards.

“That was with no wind,” he said.

Madrigal practices his trade tirelessly. He has a goal post in his yard and is “constantly kicking field goals” there.

“I also have a football facility right down the road,” he said.

Many times, he said, fans show up early to watch him practice. “A lot of people come out to see me kick and kick it deep.”

He had a 66-yard kickoff against the wind at the two-day camp. He matched up well with highly regarded Patrick Sohrt from Victoria, Tex. The combination kickers impressed senior staff instructor Ken Olson, who said they “both are good enough to play on Saturdays.”

The first camp of the summer season for Prokicker.com resulted in some good competition, Olson said.

Rick Sang, camp director, said “they have great powerful kickoff legs” after watching the camp this weekend. Madrigal was there for both days and he learned a lot from the instructors on hand. Many of them were kickers in college and some in the NFL.

“A lot of people don’t like being told what to do but it’s actually helping me,” Madrigal said. “The first day I came here I was kind of frustrated but today I was on it. Everything was clicking. I tried some of what they suggested. I can tell a difference in my ball, especially the height on my ball.”

The next Ray Guy/Prokicker.com kicking Academy will be May 7-8 in the Tampa/Bradenton, Fla., area. Go to prokicker.com for registration information about the two-day competitive camp.