Miami may keep evaluating its three-man kicker competition during the season instead of naming one permanent winner before the opener, Mario Cristobal said Tuesday.
Jack Olsen, Jake Weinberg and Will Rocha remain in the race. Cristobal said Olsen and Weinberg have both produced touchbacks and shown range approaching 55 yards, while Rocha has been dependable during his time in the program. Justice Sandle of Miami Hurricanes On SI reported the special-teams update after Tuesday’s practice.
Cristobal said the staff is creating pressure situations, grading every part of the job and giving each player a fair opportunity to separate. He also said the competition could remain active all season. The possibility leaves Miami room to choose by role, recent performance or game situation rather than treating the first depth chart as permanent.
Olsen brings the largest college sample. He made 54 of 66 field-goal attempts during three seasons at Northwestern, including 18 of 22 last year. His history offers evidence of repeatable accuracy, but a transfer still has to prove his timing with a new snapper and holder.
Weinberg supplies local familiarity and a strong leg. The former American Heritage standout began his college career at Florida State and can challenge the end zone on kickoffs. Rocha already understands Miami’s operation and gives the staff a third option who is not learning every part of the environment for the first time.
Christy Chirinos of Miami Athletics published Cristobal’s complete assessment. The coach cited camp kicks from 48, 50 and 52 yards before the competition moved close to 55. Practice range shows capability, but the winner also has to control trajectory, operation time and accuracy after waiting on the sideline.
Miami does not have to assign every specialist job to the same player. One kicker can handle field goals while another takes kickoffs if that produces the best combination of placement and coverage. A longer attempt could even call for a different leg than a routine extra point, provided the switch does not disrupt the unit’s timing.
The danger is allowing flexibility to become uncertainty. Kickers benefit from knowing the next meaningful attempt belongs to them. A weekly competition can sharpen focus, but it can also make one miss feel like an immediate benching. Cristobal and special teams coordinator Zac Etheridge need clear standards even if the public depth chart remains open.
Adam Lichtenstein of the South Florida Sun Sentinel outlined the reshaped unit before camp, including the transfers and the need to replace Carter Davis. The current competition confirms that Miami attacked the vacancy with options instead of assuming one addition would settle it.
Stanford will provide the first real pressure test. A road opener can turn one fourth-down decision into the difference between points and an empty possession. Cristobal needs enough information to know which kicker owns that moment even if the broader competition continues afterward.
Miami has not announced confusion at kicker. It has announced three candidates and a longer evaluation window. The approach works if the standards remain stable and the selected player feels trusted when the ball is snapped. It fails if every miss restarts the race. Cristobal has time to define the difference before Sept. 4.
Comments