Kai Kroeger explains what has gone into his early season success at South Carolina
Fifth-year punter Kai Kroeger has made quite the name for himself in his time as a Gamecock. Entering this year, Kroeger has made adjustments and noticed differences in his approach to continue to perform at the highest level.
Following his Week 2 performance against Kentucky, Kroeger was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. He punted five times for an average of 51.6 yards.
“It definitely felt really good out there,” Kroeger said. “Definitely the most confident I felt and I feel like I’m just gaining more and more confidence each week.”
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So far in the 2024 season, Kroeger has kicked 10 punts with the longest being 58 yards. As he continues to work and improve, Kroeger is looking towards the future rather than trying to recreate what he did in the past.
“I always hear like I’m getting back to my old self,” Kroeger said. “But I’m kind of looking at it as it’s a different form of myself. I’m not looking back at the past and trying to do anything I did before. So just kind of a new year for me that I’m attacking each and every rep.”
Meeting preseason goals set for himself is also a priority for Kroeger. As the season progresses, he continues to work on things like dropped punts and shoulder work.
“I mean it impact it directly and I think we saw that this past game and even against Old Dominion. Still perfecting it every day and working on it everyday,” Kroeger said. “But I’ve definitely noticed a difference and its definitely helped out a lot.”
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In his first season with the Gamecocks, associate head coach/special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis is making an impact. DeCamillis and Kroeger have worked to approach punts with a different mindset compared to in years past.
“It’s a mix of all the drill work I’ve done with Coach Joe D,” Kroeger said. “That’s contributed a lot and also just the mental side of it. Just having confidence going out there. Kentucky it was pretty windy out there, one of the windier games we’ve had. But just knowing I could perform in that condition definitely helped a lot and just going out there believing I can do it.”
With “ESPN College GameDay” in town, the pressure is on for Kroeger and the Gamecocks. However, his eyes are focused on the game instead of outside noise and national attention.
“It’s definitely difficult with everything that’s going on,” Kroeger said. “But something that Coach (Shane) Beamer does a great job on is just making sure that we’re focused on what we have to do each and every week.”
