Daniel Seahorn
On the 40
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- Oct 15, 2015
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Special teams have not been special the past few years in Austin outside of Michael Dickson’s punting. I don’t need to refresh you on lack of execution and consistency from the field goal and PAT teams, but at best they were an eye sore that needed a ton of attention.
During his time at Houston, Tom Herman put a huge emphasis on special teams and that is now carrying over to Texas. This past cycle he immediately went out and signed a junior college All-American kicker in Josh Rowland, and he has now put another offer on the table to local standout kicker Cameron Dicker out of Lake Travis. Herman is making it clear he isn’t leaving this kind of thing to chance and is being very aggressive about addressing the situation. He could have mined the state for a potential walk-on option, but instead he went a found a player he thought was worthy a scholarship.
Herman made Dicker a priority early in this cycle by putting an offer on the table, so it is not surprising that Dicker made the call to Herman to pledge his commitment to the Longhorns.
Film Analysis (Harrison Wier)
Houston, we have a kicker. Lake Travis product Cameron Dicker is the No. 8 kicker in the country (per Khols Kicking), and certainly plays like it. When watching Dicker work throughout his junior season at LT, I noticed several things.
First, Dicker forced 45 touchbacks out of ~120 total kickoffs. For a high school kicker, this is a pretty solid number. What it means is that Dicker is comfortable with kicking off and has a serviceable leg. With how bad the Longhorns kickoff coverage has been the past few years, it would sure be nice to have a kicker with a strong enough leg to get it out of the end zone.
Secondly, Dicker is even more comfortable with place kicking. In 2016, Dicker went 10/14 with a long of 46-yards. Although his long in an official game is 46, he can go at least 10 yards past that. In the Khols Kicking 2017 performance camp, Dicker consistently hit from 55-yards with ease. Dicker also was comfortable kicking from both hashes. After the camp, Khols Kicking said that Dicker “can compete for the top field goal kicker in the country. He is a special talent that has a knack for the big moment.†I’ll take it.
Dicker also punted for Lake Travis. Although punting is not Dicker’s natural position, he showed a consistency that you look for in any kicker/punter. In his highlights, he always was able to get decent hang time on the ball, and made returners work. Dicker won’t be a punter in college, but the consistency he showed at a different position is promising.
Final Verdict
Ultimately, Dicker is a big pickup in an even bigger area of need for Texas. He is a solid kicker in every sense, and a great addition to an already talented room at the position. Even more important is the fact that Tom Herman has prioritized a position that has been overlooked for years. Herman doesn’t let anything go unnoticed. Not even the kicker. This is evident by his recruiting over the past two cycles. Herman’s first commitment as head coach of the Longhorns was JUCO kicker Joshua Rowland. Herman knows how important a good kicker is to a successful football program. He believes he’s found the next great at the position in Cameron Dicker.
During his time at Houston, Tom Herman put a huge emphasis on special teams and that is now carrying over to Texas. This past cycle he immediately went out and signed a junior college All-American kicker in Josh Rowland, and he has now put another offer on the table to local standout kicker Cameron Dicker out of Lake Travis. Herman is making it clear he isn’t leaving this kind of thing to chance and is being very aggressive about addressing the situation. He could have mined the state for a potential walk-on option, but instead he went a found a player he thought was worthy a scholarship.
Herman made Dicker a priority early in this cycle by putting an offer on the table, so it is not surprising that Dicker made the call to Herman to pledge his commitment to the Longhorns.
Film Analysis (Harrison Wier)
Houston, we have a kicker. Lake Travis product Cameron Dicker is the No. 8 kicker in the country (per Khols Kicking), and certainly plays like it. When watching Dicker work throughout his junior season at LT, I noticed several things.
First, Dicker forced 45 touchbacks out of ~120 total kickoffs. For a high school kicker, this is a pretty solid number. What it means is that Dicker is comfortable with kicking off and has a serviceable leg. With how bad the Longhorns kickoff coverage has been the past few years, it would sure be nice to have a kicker with a strong enough leg to get it out of the end zone.
Secondly, Dicker is even more comfortable with place kicking. In 2016, Dicker went 10/14 with a long of 46-yards. Although his long in an official game is 46, he can go at least 10 yards past that. In the Khols Kicking 2017 performance camp, Dicker consistently hit from 55-yards with ease. Dicker also was comfortable kicking from both hashes. After the camp, Khols Kicking said that Dicker “can compete for the top field goal kicker in the country. He is a special talent that has a knack for the big moment.†I’ll take it.
Dicker also punted for Lake Travis. Although punting is not Dicker’s natural position, he showed a consistency that you look for in any kicker/punter. In his highlights, he always was able to get decent hang time on the ball, and made returners work. Dicker won’t be a punter in college, but the consistency he showed at a different position is promising.
Final Verdict
Ultimately, Dicker is a big pickup in an even bigger area of need for Texas. He is a solid kicker in every sense, and a great addition to an already talented room at the position. Even more important is the fact that Tom Herman has prioritized a position that has been overlooked for years. Herman doesn’t let anything go unnoticed. Not even the kicker. This is evident by his recruiting over the past two cycles. Herman’s first commitment as head coach of the Longhorns was JUCO kicker Joshua Rowland. Herman knows how important a good kicker is to a successful football program. He believes he’s found the next great at the position in Cameron Dicker.
