Daniel Jackson commits to Gophers!

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He's a kicker I guess. Who would have thunk a kid with that kind if speed would be a kicker.
 






He's a kicker now not a WR? Switching positions does that reset his eligibility back to Freshman?
 






I can see it now. They line up for a FG but Jackson will be flanked instead of behind the holder. Direct snap to the kicker who's actually a backup QB who hits Jackson on a skinny post for an easy TD. He's our secret weapon!
 

I see they list him (at least in HS) at Kicker/Punter. is he projected as a K or a P? I guess I assumed K, but I suppose they can try him at both and see where he is stronger.

at 5'9" and 160lbs, he must be able to generate some leg strength.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
I see they list him (at least in HS) at Kicker/Punter. is he projected as a K or a P? I guess I assumed K, but I suppose they can try him at both and see where he is stronger.

at 5'9" and 160lbs, he must be able to generate some leg
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short ornery norwegian said:
I see they list him (at least in HS) at Kicker/Punter. is he projected as a K or a P? I guess I assumed K, but I suppose they can try him at both and see where he is stronger.

at 5'9" and 160lbs, he must be able to generate some leg strength.
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I think he performed better as a kicker at competitive K&P camps he attended.
 


From the kicking world link @Word posted:

June 2020 – Daniel is the first 8th grader to earn a spot on our Hot Prospect List and one of very few ever to earn a National Showcase invite at only 13 years old! He’s way ahead of his age both as a K/P and maturity as a young man. He’s smart, determined, very coachable, and is a hard worker. We rarely even add prospects until their HS sophomore year, so having Daniel on this list is really special.

He won the younger group (7-10 grade) field goal competition at his first KW camp appearance on June 14, 2020 in Minneapolis crushing a 50 yarder for the win. Throughout the weekend he hit beautiful field goals with excellent lift and a penetrating trajectory, connected on several punts over 4.0 seconds and even got his kickoffs near touchback territory. He has a great swing and replicates ideal foot to ball contact with high consistency.

After following his video updates over the last 2 months since camp I felt compelled to add him to the List. He’s progressed so much in a short period of time and if he continues at this rate I have no doubt he’ll be a Division 1 College K/P recruit by his sophomore year of HS! This is a kid who will get early offers.
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Now, obviously I've never heard of kicking world, no clue how long they've been around, or how many prospects they've written about, but sounds promising for a PWO player, though obviously that was written basically 4 years ago now. Here's their most recent update from the end of the year last year:
2023 Update – Daniel has solidified himself as the top kicker on the Class of 2025. The ball bombs off his foot and he is very accurate. With one FBS PWO offer already as a sophomore he’s one the radar of many top schools. Make a move before it’s too late.


Daniel made the KW Hot Prospect List as an 8th grader, one of a handful to make that honor. He’s entering his 3rd consecutive National Showcase in Dec 2022 and just finished up a stellar sophomore season where he hit a 53 yard field goal in game, lead the state of Minnesota with a near 80% touchback ratio, and also picked up a PWO offer from the University of Minnesota. He looks to be one of the top kickers in the Class of 2025 nationally. Looking forward to seeing how he does this weekend (Dec 3-4) in Austin.
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Seems like a good pickup for a PWO Kicker and/or Punter. Hopefully he has a solid Senior Year this fall, and maybe he can enroll early and join for spring practice. Hopefully our kicking situation is decent enough that he can redshirt and be ready to compete for the starting kicker spot in 2026.

Than again, I know relatively little about kicking and what makes a good kicker and whatnot, so maybe he competes as a freshman in 2025, who knows.
 

Out State Gopher said:
Punters are normally over 6 feet, science.
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I think the overall trend for kickers has trended that way as well. Doesn't mean he can't be a great kicker by being shorter, but he'll have less natural advantage.

Though, perhaps he has longer legs and a shorter torso, and so his legs are maybe similar in length to someone who is taller, but has a more equal ratio between their torso and legs?

Longer legs = potentially faster foot speed when kicking = more power in the kick, which is why the trend has skewed for taller kickers and punters, since naturally they have longer legs. Wouldn't shock me to hear that NFL kickers also are trending toward having shorter torsos and longer than average legs for their height. When punting this also means they are striking the ball a little higher of the ground to get the ideal angle of impact, which probably has some small effect on the hang time, and also maybe a small effect on how hard it is to block?

No matter what, if he kicks and/or punts accurately and with power, who cares how tall he is!?
 

He had offers from Army, Cornell, Minneaota, and North Dakota State, according to 247Sports.

Be skeptical of over-hyoe elsewhere. What is the reputation of hype?

That talk of the best kicker is not believable.
 







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