How SC is producing a record number of kickers this season

South Carolina is used to producing its share of Division I football talent each year, but not usually when it comes to kickers.

That’s not the case this season: The Palmetto State is enjoying a kicking boom. According to 247Sports recruiting rankings for South Carolina, six of the top 40 players are kickers with each of them ranked nationally. Seneca’s Hunter Pearson is at the top of the list for the Class of 2018. Last year, there was one kicker from South Carolina ranked in 247Sports’ top 40 kickers.

All six of the kickers are committed to ACC or SEC schools with three of them selected to play in national all-star games. South Pointe’s BT Potter and Nation Ford’s Skyler Delong were chosen for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and Airport’s Paxton Brooks is headed to Under Armour All-American game.

“It’s rare to have this type of kicker talent in any one state, especially South Carolina,” Rivals recruiting analyst Woody Wommack said. “For some reason, the state is quickly becoming known as an area to find scholarship kickers, and you’re seeing schools from all over the country coming in to find guys. Obviously, this year having so many is an anomaly but the fact that schools are willing to use scholarships on these guys shows just how talented they really are.”

Of the six kickers committed to Division I schools, only South Pointe’s BT Potter is staying in state and going to Clemson. Given South Carolina’s kicking troubles this year, Wommack said he is a little surprised the Gamecocks haven’t gone after some of the in-state kids.

“It’s tough to decide when to use a scholarship on a guy, especially considering if you have needs at other positions,” Wommack said. “But I think you’ve seen the best schools make sure that the kicking position is shored up, even if that means using a scholarship.”

The kicking success hasn’t come by accident, but with hours of hard work and training away from their high schools. Of the six Division I commits, Potter, Brooks (Tennessee commit), DeLong (Alabama commit) and Clover’s Nicholas Sciba (Wake Forest commit) train with Dan Orner, a former North Carolina kicker who played in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.

Orner, who is based out of Charlotte, has been working with punters and kickers for the past 12 years. Some of his former students are kicking in the NFL, including former Gamecocks kicker Ryan Succop, Clemson’s Chandler Catanzaro as well as Bradley Pinion, Connor Barth, Sam Martin and Jeff Locke.

Orner saw something similar to what is happening this season in SC a few years ago in North Carolina.

“You maybe see it every three or four years with this group of talent. But I think it is some great kids who are super disciplined and working so hard,” Orner said. “For the state, it really puts it on the map, and college coaches are taking notice.”

Camps and instruction like Orner’s and others across the country are more common than when he was in high school and college. Orner said kicking is more specialized now and kids are seeing benefits with college scholarships and a chance to kick in the NFL.

High school and college coaches also reap the benefits for having such a strong kicker and Orner, who also helps out at Nation Ford, said coaches let their players skip out on practice occasionally to get the extra training with him that they might not normally get.

“Kickers like Paxton can flip the field with a punt or kick in the end zone almost every time,” Airport coach Kirk Burnett said. “You take stuff like that for granted.”

Orner works with kickers about three times a month in Charlotte, from December through June. Each workout caters to that particular kicker’s needs. He also provides on-site video instruction for instant feedback and areas to work on that day.

Brooks credits Orner with helping him hone his kicking and punting skills. He started training with him two years ago and saw his stock rise. The Airport senior leads the Midlands in punting for the second straight year and hasn’t missed a field goal or extra point this season.

“It is monumental the difference that it has made,” Brooks said. “He helped refine the raw talent I had. He kicked in college and has been through the pros so we really respect what he is teaching us.”

Brooks said the competition with the other elite kickers in the state brings out the best in each . They also have formed a tight bond and enjoy the success of others.

“It’s pretty special,” Brooks said.

This story was originally published October 14, 2017 at 8:07 PM.