Three Michigan kickers/punters have been outstanding in fall camp
The Michigan kicking game figures to be one of the best in the country, led by grad student and Lou Groza Award winning kicker Jake Moody and sixth-year punter Brad Robbins.
They’re not alone in impressing during fall camp.
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Make no mistake — Moody and Robbins are the two guys who will shoulder the load this year, and they’ve been outstanding in camp. Special teams coach Jay Harbaugh has so much faith in them that he’s essentially let them do what they feel they need to this fall. But sophomore Tommy Doman has come a long way, too, and he is the future at both punter and kicker.
Moody believes he’ll be the guy for both after he leaves, he said this summer, and Harbaugh could see it.
“He’s had an awesome camp,” the Michigan assistant said. “He’s a guy who really gradually has gotten better and better as he’s been here. He has physically matured a lot — he’s gotten really strong. He’s put on a lot of weight, and he’s going to be a specimen even a year from now. He just keeps getting bigger and stronger, and his attitude is phenomenal.”
He’s also been outstanding in his ability to put a bad kick behind him, Harbaugh said, impressive for a guy so young. He added he’s hopeful he’ll get Doman some reps this year, in fact, in some Michigan games.
“Hats off to him. He’s had an awesome, awesome, spring, summer and fall, which isn’t the easiest thing ever when you’re behind a guy who’s very, very good and it’s not a foregone conclusion that you’re going to ever play,” Harbaugh added. “That takes some real professionalism to be able to come in day in and day out, and work and get better.”
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Veteran Michigan kickers are shining in camp
But the Michigan veterans will be in there when it matters most, as long as they stay healthy. They’ll often approach Harbaugh on what they want to do in practice, and he almost always gives the okay.
“They’re super mature … tons of experience. They are both guys who will play professional football, and deservedly so,” Harbaugh added. “They’re A), very good, but B) they have a great self-awareness of who they are, what they need, what their rhythm is. They kind of self-regulate throughout the week, and they do a great job.
“Because we trust them so much, they’ll come and say, ‘Hey, can we not do this?’ Or, ‘Can we do this?’ Or, ‘A little more of this, less of that.’ That’s the kind of thing, when you get a really experienced player … you understand if they’re coming to you with something, it’s well-thought out and it’s probably the right thing.”
They’ve been every bit as good as advertised during the Michigan camp, he added.
“It’s very nice for us, and we’ll just try to keep them feeling really good and playing confident,” he said. “… They’ve been tremendous. We’re looking forward to both of them having monster years again.”
