Who will be Georgia’s starting kicker is an underlying storyline as the Bulldogs prepare for fall camp.
Three-year starter Jack Podlesny is now a Minnesota Viking, leaving a chance for junior Jared Zirkel and freshman Peyton Woodring to take the starting role in 2023.
Zirkel was the No. 4 ranked kicker out of the 2020 recruiting class and Woodring comes to Athens as the No. 1 kicker in the 2023 class.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart talked about the competition at SEC Media Days this week.
“The problem is we haven’t had the young kid there (Peyton), we know what he can do but we don’t get to go out there and work with him over the summer,” Smart said. “They kick, and they work amongst themselves, but we don’t go out there and say ‘OK, who hit what from where?’”
“It will be a big focus for fall camp because we will have some pressure kicks in practice to try and decide,” he continued. “It goes back to the year of Rodrigo Blankenship for the last time we had an opening at that position. There will be some battles in fall camp and there will be, ‘OK, we’re on the line and we’re going to run sprints if he doesn’t make’ to try and put pressure on that guy to decide who that guy is’. I will say this. I was very pleased with Zirkel. He had his best spring by far, and it will be a good competition.”
The Bulldogs will also have to find a new holder following Stetson Bennett, who held the role last season.
“We have had some, I can’t say competition. We’re trying to determine who our field goal kicker is before the holder. I usually defer to the kicker to decide who the holder is,” Smart said. “I like for it to be a quarterback, not necessarily THE quarterback, but we’ve opened up this year to try Ladd, and other guys back there. Stetson had done it for so long and he made me comfortable with his athleticism and speed. Of course, he could throw, but we don’t know who it is yet. We’ll decide it in fall camp.”
While kickers don’t get quite the recognition as other position groups, having a security blanket while in opponents’ territory should be emphasized.
The Bulldogs have been efficient at the position during Smart’s tenure. Both Zirkel and Woodring have the talent, but kicking under pressure is a different animal.
