New K/P commit Jacob Kauwe: Kentucky is "everything I wanted in a program"

Even when you’re one of the best at your craft at the high school level, it can be tough to get noticed when you’re playing out of a state with just over a million people in it. In terms of population, Montana is one of the smallest states in the country. But new Kentucky football commit Jacob Kauwe found a way to get his name out there. It resulted in him landing a full-ride scholarship with the Wildcats and ultimately committing to UK.

Kauwe committed to Kentucky on Tuesday morning, making him the sixth pledge for the 2024 recruiting class. The Billings (MT) West product is considered a five-star kicker and punter in the country according to Kohl’s Kicking and a top 30 prospect at both positions. UK doesn’t always spend a scholarship on a special teams player in each class, but Kauwe caught the eye of new special teams/running backs coach Jay Boulware.

“Being in Montana, it’s hard to get noticed,” Kauwe told KSR on Tuesday. “I went to a Kohl’s camp and really got my name out there. Those rankings are arbitrary but they definitely get you noticed. Coach Boulware and Coach (Mike) Prifer just saw me, they went through the film of every top guy. They liked mine the best and they reached out and we’ve been talking for a couple months.”

100% Committed!!🔵⚪ @UKCoachStoops @CoachJ_Boulware @PrieferJr1 #bbn pic.twitter.com/l3EAocFQq8

— Jacob Kauwe (@JacobKauwe16) June 20, 2023

Kauwe officially visited Kentucky last week (June 13-15) and left Lexington with a full-ride offer in hand. He received interest from the likes of Oklahoma, Oregon State, Duke, and Montana State (which also offered), but the opportunity to play SEC football was too much of an opportunity to pass up.

“It was towards the end of my visit,” Kauwe said of when he received the offer. “They just really loved having me there and I really loved being there and that was the next step. They really see me as someone who can come in and compete for that job. I took a few days to get home and talk about it but I was pretty much committed as soon as they said it.”

Checking in at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Kauwe is more than just someone who knows how to kick a ball really far — although he’s quite good at it. He’s an impressive athlete with a soccer background who just so happens to be incredibly skilled when it comes to translating his kicking skills to the gridiron. Kauwe has been kicking since eighth grade.

Kohl’s Kicking considers him the No. 28 ranked kicker and No. 17 ranked punter in the ’24 class, but Kauwe says he’s a kicker at heart.

“I believe myself to be a kicker,” He said. “A lot of places I was going to for camps I was going to be a punter and that was another thing that Kentucky believed in me and what I really loved doing the best. I’m a kicker through and through, and then punting — if that is something that may happen in the future, it may happen in the future. I have been working on it to get better for my high school team because I’m a punter here. I’ll continue to keep working on it on the side and then if it happens it happens. If not, I’m a kicker at heart I think.”

Statistics on Montana high school football aren’t exactly easily accessible, but Kauwe says his career-long during a game is a 54-yarder, which he knocked through during his sophomore season. He also recorded 42 touchbacks on kickoffs as a junior, which led the state.

Playing in front of over 60,000 people at Kroger Field will be slightly different than what he’s experienced in Montana, but Kauwe is up for the challenge and eager to begin his college career with the Wildcats.

“Kentucky was just the best, by a lot.”