Arizona State HC Calls Kicking Game ‘Atrocious,’ Calls For Open Tryouts

Arizona State is holding open tryouts at kicker for students at the university, per head coach Kenny Dillingham.

Following the Sun Devils’ 24-14 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday, Dillingham didn’t hold back about the team’s struggles.

“Our kicking game is atrocious,” Dillingham said. “If you can kick and you’re at Arizona State, email me. We’re going to have kicking tryouts on Monday. I’m dead serious. We gotta find somebody who can make a field goal.”

ASU kicker Ian Hershey missed both field goal attempts on the final drives of the team’s loss. The first kick would’ve made made it a one-possession game with over five minutes remaining.

Hershey has made 7 of 12 field goals this season, the kicker’s debacle isn’t the first instance of the season. Hershey had an extra point get blocked earlier in the season, which led to redshirt freshman Carston Kieffer getting an opportunity to be the Sun Devils’ kicker.

To Arizona State’s dismay, Keiffer went 0 for 1 on field goal attempts and missed one of five extra points.

“We’ve missed five kicks in the last three games,” Dillingham added. “We’ve gotta find someone who can kick the ball and give Kieffer more chances as well. But first and foremost, we got to find more guys and try to get somebody else with us that can kick. It’s still 100% on me that we’re not kicking well.”

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The departure of kicker Dario Longhetto last year has hurt Arizona State. The two prime candidates, Hershey and Kieffer have gone 7-13 on field goal attempts.

“It’s my job to fix it,” Dillingham said. “We’re struggling to fix it with our roster right now, so if that’s the case, we gotta try to fix it another way. What we’re trying to do to fix it is not working, and like I said, we’ve missed five kicks in three weeks. That’s not good football.”

Students have already answered Dillingham’s call to tryout. A junior at Arizona State has submitted a tryout video via X.

“I would love to try out for the ASU football team,” Nolan Krinsky wrote. “I am a kicker, punter, place holder and have been trying to walk onto the team for three years now and I love kicking and putting in the work. Kenny Dillingham if you give me a tryout I promise I won’t disappoint.”

The Sun Devils will use the bye week to search for a new kicker. Arizona State’s next matchup is against Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 2.

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