Interview with Connor Culp, the best kicker in the nation you’ve never heard of

Written by Ryan Wright

If you’ve never heard of Connor Culp do not feel bad, few in the football world have outside of the Phoenix, Arizona area. Those few that are aware of the 5’10”, 180 pound, kicker are very aware of his cannon for a right leg. Those in the loop include kicking guru Chris Sailer and some college programs like Ohio State, Wisconsin, Duke, Alabama, Minnesota, and Washington.

Culp has had an unusual rise to the top of Chris Sailer’s kicking rankings. During his junior season in 2014 he was beat out by a senior over the summer by two percentage points during a charting contest. Instead of opting for a weekly field goal kicking contest head coach Dan Hinds stuck with Riggs Tamburo until Week 5 when the duties were handed over to Culp. Culp answered the bell going 2-3 missing only a 57-yard attempt; yes a 57-yard attempt. He had the leg but it scooted on him going wide left.

Sailer has Culp ranked as the No. 4 high school kicker in the nation for the 2016 recruiting class yet some college coaches seem hesitant to pull the trigger on an offer. This hesitation is despite the fact that Culp has been named:

Member of the Top 12
2015 Vegas XXV Class of 2016 Kickoff Champion
2015 Vegas XXVI Prep Camp Overall Champion
2015 Vegas XXVI Prep Camp Field Goal Champion
2015 Vegas XXVI Prep Camp Kickoff Champion
2015 Vegas XXVI Class of 2016 Field Goal Champion
2015 Vegas XXVI Field Goal Finalist (Final 2)
2015 Top 12 & Event Elite Kickoff Champion

On the field Culp has other stats to his credit to show off his strong leg. Out of 32 kickoffs he has sent 29 into the end zone for a touchback. The two field goals he hit were of 34 and 28 yards, but perhaps the most telling is the 70-yard try he hit in a Desert Vista High School practice.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview I sat down to talk to one of the nation’s best kickers getting insight on his process before a kick, what makes him one of the best in the 2016 class, and how his recruiting process is shaping up.

 

Connor, talking about the previous year is not necessarily easy. I know Desert Vista High School had a tough year going 3-7, what happened last year? Was the team really young or did you guys go through some tough injuries?

“The year before that, my sophomore year, we didn’t have a very good season. We went 4-7, and that resulted in a lot of the seniors that are graduating 2015 to not play the next year. In a way we were a very young team. We only had eight seniors starting and the rest were juniors or sophomores. As a result of all those guys quitting that really hurt the team a lot.”

Now that you guys have gone through spring ball, how does the Thunder look heading into the 2015 season?

“I think the team is going to be much better. I saw some of the 7×7 games I could go to when I wasn’t at camps. We looked good. Obviously we still have to sort out some kinks and stuff like that but I am looking forward to next year because I know we will be better.”

More importantly for you, do you think the offense will be a strength next year?

“Yes. We have a very good quarterback. He has some competition which will always make him better. Whenever you compete you work harder to earn your position. We have a solid line and we have some pretty talented wide receivers and running backs.”

Last year you only had three attempts at field goals. How did it work out that someone with your abilities only got three field goal attempts?

“Well what happened was in the beginning of the year we chart to see who was going to play. There was a senior that year who had worked really hard because I had beat him the year before. He beat me in field goals during charting over the summer at our camp. That played a big part of it. He beat me by two percent. I just wasn’t performing really and I kind of put myself in a bad position. By the middle of the year, in our fifth game, he was not performing well so coach took him out and put me in. Unfortunately we did not have a ton of field goal opportunities but next year my head coach said I will have a bunch to do.”

How did your kicking go during your sophomore and freshman year?

“My freshman year kicked really well, I only missed two kicks. My longest kick was a 43-yarder, which still stands as my longest field goal. I didn’t get to kick a whole lot my sophomore year. I think I only attempted six field goals. I was 4-6 in that season (freshman year). My sophomore year I did not get a whole lot of action there but I was 5-6.”

Was all of that on varsity or JV?

“That was varsity.”

You gave me your longest field goal in a game what is the longest field goal you’ve hit at practice?

“70-yards.”

70-yards???

“Yes sir.”

Wow! Was there a back wind and a canon helping you out there?

“There was a little bit of a wind, but I was feeling really good that day. I kept everything the same I typically do with all my other kicks except I just hit those one more solid. Previously to that I was hitting in the 60’s easily so I decided to give it a shot and it went well.”

When was that? Was that a couple of weeks ago a few months ago?

“That was towards the end of my junior season in practice. I haven’t attempted anymore like that since. I’m sure I could stretch that record out a little more.”

Did your high school coach see you mail out that 70-yarder and that’s what lead to the 57-yard attempt?

“It wasn’t exactly that. They know through my kickoffs and stuff like that I could attempt and hit something like that. For instance my high percentage touchback rates, I put 10 kickoffs through the field goal during the season. As a result of that they decided to give me a shot. Unfortunately it was a little wide left, but had the distance. I just have to correct my technique and stay true to like every other kick.”

What are your goals for the 2015 football season?

“My goals are to hit all 100 percent touchbacks and to be 100 percent on field goals as well. I‘ve been training very hard over the summer to get a very smooth consistent pattern so every time I kick I know exactly where the ball is going to go.”

What is your approach to kicking?

“The approach is exactly the same, doesn’t matter if I’m attempting a PAT or a 60-yarder. It all remains the same because I trust myself and the power that I generate. I don’t have to swing any differently from a PAT to a 60-yarder. I take my steps back. I make sure that I am lined up correctly with the angle that I am on. If I am on the right hash I’ll be at a diagonal towards the center of the field goal. I make sure my steps over are a perfect 90 degrees. When I go to kick the ball I keep my head down the whole time. I don’t look at the defensive line rushing trying to block the kick. I keep my head down and I look at the contact point and swing through still keeping my head down and skipping it to my target as my coach would say.”

When did you know early on that you had a strong leg and that you could kick? Did you play soccer growing up?

“It was soccer, I played for 12 years. I noticed that I had a particularly strong leg. I played defense but I would do a lot of goal kicks and I would typically hit it 20-yards onto the other half of the field. As a result of that I thought “hey maybe I should try kicking for football and stuff like that.” That transitioned into having a strong leg for football and ultimately led to my decision to only play football and not soccer.”

No more soccer?

“I stopped playing last year. I just wanted to focus 100 percent on football and prepare the best that I can for college.”

 

You have a lot of accolades from kicking competitions at the Chris Sailer events. It seems like you are dominating. The titles speak volumes but in your words how well have you performed at these camps?

“It actually started off the first time I went there. I was on a team for field goals. I was pretty – I’d crushed the ball but it was on a tee. That caught their eye at first. They told me after the first Vegas camp to transition to the ground.

“I worked really hard for two months before the next Sailer camp. By that time I was on the ground, at that camp I never missed one kick. I was on the ground so I was like “oh, hey this is working really good for me right now.” That first Vegas prep camp gave me the confidence to kick well and show that I can do what I know I can do on a consistent basis. Performance wise I was very blessed with myself. I was a little bit surprised. In the beginning it was very challenging but I kept on doing it. Sooner than later I perfected my kick. Not perfected but I got better at the technique and it shined throughout all the other Sailer camps.”

Let’s talk a little bit about recruiting now. Which schools are recruiting you right now?

“As of right now Minnesota, Wisconsin, Duke, Alabama, and Washington. I went to the Alabama camp and was doing very well. I spoke to Nick Saban. He was very impressed however I did not get a scholarship opportunity. He had already given it two one of the other top two kids. A kid named Eddy (Pineiro), they gave it to him. I was a little disappointed about that.

“Then at Duke I really shined there too. I really dropped some jaws but unfortunately they had already offered another kicker before I got to kick for them. They are going to stick with that offer to the other kicker (Austin Reed). However I’m still in very close contact with them and talk to the coach every week. It’s my No. 1 school right now based off the academics of the school, coaching staff, and how everything is run. They said if something goes wrong with the other kicker then they will be my first phone call.”

Are you planning on going to any other camps upcoming?

“I have not gone to Wisconsin yet, I kick there next Sunday. I’m also going to look at Ohio State. I also have another Chris Sailer camp in Ohio. That camp will help qualify for the U.S. Army All-American game.”

When you talk to the different college coaches what are they telling you they like about your kicking style?

“They all like my consistency, my height, and power on my field goals. What I’ve been told by the coaches is that what separates one kicker from the other is how high the ball comes off the ground. It’s not an easy thing to do. Coach Sailer said you can make 100/100 kicks and that guy not get a scholarship but the guy hitting 80/100 with better height will get the offer rather than the kid that hits a lower trajectory ball. What really separates from a lot of other kickers is the height and straightness of the ball.”

What is your height on your kicks? And can you also explain how you get immediate lift on the ball that makes you a better kicker than most of your peers?

“To get more height on the ball you need to plant deeper, if on the tee it’s elevated for you so you can plant a little shallower and your foot is already coming up on the ball. When you are on the ground, if you do that you’ll hit the middle part of the ball and it won’t go anywhere. The key is to have a deep plant foot and look where you’re going to hit the ball, hopefully on the sweet spot, and you really have to emphasis your drive up with your leg. That is really the only way to get sufficient height on your field goals.”

You’ve explained the mechanics to me, what is the average height on a kick a Division-I kicker has to make?

“From about 35 yards out you should be over the upright post. A couple of drills to that is stand 5-yards away from the field goal and emphasis your drive up over the crossbar. Really that’s the measurement that you really need to get it over those really tall guys at the line trying to block your kick.”

You’ve listed off some schools that are interest in you, what are some of the other schools you are interested in right now?

“Really for me I just want to play D-I football. I just want the whole experience. Not a lot of people get to experience that. When you have a chance to experience something like that you have to go for it. I’m open to all D-I schools when it comes down to it. I do have my preferences. I don’t want to kick in-state. Preferably I want to go to a school in the Midwest, Big Ten, or some of the SEC schools and some of the Pac-12 schools. When it comes down to it D-I football is D-I football. Really any school that will be interested I will consider highly to play there.”

Who has made the biggest impact on your football career?

“Probably my high school kicking coach (Ken Olson; San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills) has had the biggest impact. I spend the most time with him. He’s taught me everything I know. He kicked in the NFL for five years so he knows what he’s talking about. If I didn’t have him I wouldn’t be where I am right now. He really helped with football, saying, “Hey you can do it. You have talent and you have the instruction now just take it and run with it.”

 

Photo credit: ChrisSailer.com; Connor Culp at one of Chris Sailer’s camps.

Photo credit: ChrisSailer.com; Connor Culp kicks at one of Chris Sailer’s camps.