By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com
BRADENTON, Fla. – The second Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp of the spring produced some shuffling in the rankings.
Ryan Pandy moved into the top overall spot for kickers on the heels of a strong camp while long-snappers Jeremiah Theus and Stephen Kleier moved to No. 2 and No. 4 in the comprehensive rankings.
Star instruction was also part of the theme for the camp at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Fla. Miami Dolphins punter Brandon Fields was instructing both days and former Lou Groza Award winner Jonathan Ruffin taught as well.
Taylor Long, a former Eastern Kentucky University All-American kicker, and University of Georgia long-snapper Nathan Theus brought teaching expertise to the nearly 40 campers on hand for top-notch instruction.
Fields, who was third in the NFL with a 48.8 punting average, awed campers with some booming punts.
Five campers were identified in the Prokicker.com talent search: kicker Ryan Pandy (class of 2013), long-snapper Stephen Kleier (2013), punter Mac Loudermilk (2014), punter Bryan Kirshe (2014) and long-snapper Jeremy Theus (2015).
“Ryan was very polished for his age,” Ruffin said. “He’s pretty talented and further along than most guys his age as far as technique. Most guys that age are pretty raw.”
Ruffin said for Pandy, it’s a matter of gaining game experience and developing confidence.
“Guys who can do it mentally are what separate you on the college level,” he said. “I know if I was a college coach, he’s what I’d be looking for. He doesn’t have the biggest leg I’ve ever seen but he has good technique.”
Pandy was 6-of-10 charting on field goals but his long kickoff was 71 yards. So there’s improvement to be made on the field goals, Ruffin said.
“He’s really good to be a junior,” Long said. “I asked him what grade he was in and I thought he was a junior in college. He’s got such a strong leg and good technique. It’s a rarity I guess you’d say. Ryan is another kid that has a great opportunity in front of him.”
Laudermilk, a punter, impressed Ruffin, too.
“He’s the opposite (of Pandy),” he said. “He’s full of talent but not finished yet. The technique is not quite there yet. But he’s got tons of talent and raw leg strength.”
What makes Prokicker.com camps the best in the business is the professional instruction. Ruffin works about 10 camps a year and several NFL punters who have connections to Prokicker.com appear throughout the summer.
And they don’t just come to sign autographs. The coaching staff works individually and in groups with the campers for a complete learning experience.
It’s important, Ruffin said, to learn how to become your own coach.
“Most high school kids don’t get any coaching on kicking,” he said. “If you do get any (coaching), it’s usually not very good. We pack a lot of information into two days. I had a lot of kids in my group that really showed improvement in just the two days. The kicking specific coaching we give them is such a benefit.”
Unlike other showcase camps that are mostly void of individual instruction, the Prokicker.com camps focus on the fundamentals of kicking, punting and long-snapping. Players come away from the camp experience with lessons that can be taken home.
“My goal is to have them coach themselves,” Ruffin said. “I watch them make a mistake and then ask them ‘What do you do there?’ By the end of the camp, they know what went wrong and how to fix it.”
By having instructors who have played on the biggest stages, campers gain valuable insight from the two-day experience.
