The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
JULY 2019 ■ 91 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 the league for field goals made and third in extra points. Leading the ACC in two of those three categories was Syracuse redshirt sopho- more kicker Andre Szmyt, who won the Lou Groza Award, presented to the nation's best kicker, and was named a unanimous All-American. Dunn has been following Szmyt and pre- dicts they'll be battling each other for the league's top honors — and beyond — for the next two years. Szmyt went 30 of 34 on field goals with a long of 54 yards and added 61 extra points last season to finish with a league-high 151 points. "He had a great season, they had a great offense and he got a lot of attempts," Dunn said. "They have a nice stadium [indoors], and it's fun to kick in. They also have the turf." Judging kickers against each other isn't easy, but Dunn is clear that he wants to not only be the top kicker in the ACC, but the nation. Both roads will go through Szmyt. "God has blessed me with a great op- portunity at NC State, and if I can take total advantage, I'll have a good career here," Dunn said. "I like having competition, and that will give me something to aim for. "Hopefully, I'll come out with the Lou Groza Award this year." Dunn ended his freshman year with a bang in the Gator Bowl. NCSU lost 52-13 to Texas A&M, but Dunn was a bright spot after setting his career high with a 49-yarder. He also made a 43-yard three-pointer. Twenty-two of his first 24 field goal at- tempts were from 38 yards or closer. He had previously made a 44-yard kick in the win over Virginia, but missed a 43-yarder against James Madison in the season opener. Dunn yearns for the chance to show off his range, which he claims is 60 yards. "I definitely would like to see a few more kicks like in the bowl game against Texas A&M," he said. Missing only two field goals inside of 40 yards proved his steadiness, and helped calm NCSU coaches and its fan base, who had experienced a rough few years in the kick- ing game. The Wolfpack was a combined 19 for 37 on filed goals and 91 for 97 on extra points during the 2016 and '17 seasons. New special teams and tight ends coach Todd Goebbel appreciates the approach Dunn takes to kicking. "For any program, especially ours, to have a guy you know you can trust in tight or crucial situations to split the uprights is invaluable," Goebbel said. "I do better under pressure. Kicking in games, to me, is more fun than prac- tice," Dunn said. "I just love for every- one to either cheer for me or boo me if I am on an opposing field. I don't really have butterflies." The special teams unit lost Dunn's long snapper and holder from last year, and he is working on the timing with both replacements. "Having that year of experience helps with the confidence," Dunn said. "Even though these guys will be new with the position, I can still lead them." He worked with punters Mackenzie Mor- gan and Trenton Gill as his new holders dur- ing the spring. Whomever wins the job will follow former punter A.J. Cole, who reliably handled the duty for the rookie kicker. "I have confidence that if the ball is go- ing to be where it needs to be and the laces are out, it should be going in every time," Dunn said. Earning the kickoff role is another subtle change for Dunn. Senior Kyle Bambard handled the duties last year, but that role has opened up with his departure. NC State isn't going to want the 5-8, 180-pound Dunn making tackles on kick- offs, and he knows exactly the last time he did make a tackle. He tackled current Vir- ginia Tech safety Divine Deablo on a kick return, when Deablo played for Winston- Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor High. "I'd love to do the kickoffs," Dunn said. "I really would like to be known as the leader of the special teams group." Few specialists enter college with the expectations Dunn faced at NC State. A touted signee from Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson High, he was being counted on to be a reliable kicker from the minute he stepped on campus. He had gone 8 of 17 on field goals with a long of 57 yards his senior year, and had made 30 of 48 during his last three years of high school. Chris Sailer Kicking listed him as the No. 6 kicker in the country, and he earned a spot in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game and the Offense- Defense All-American Bowl. The prep honors and college opportunity they led to validated his choice of trying out to be the North Davidson kicker in his freshman year and bypassing the chance to play high school soccer, which drew mixed reactions in the Dunn household. He played soccer from age three un- til eighth grade, when he was also home schooled. He attended public school for the first time in ninth grade at North Davidson. "My mom was mad because she's Italian and wanted me to do soccer through col- lege," Dunn said. "Once I got my scholar- ship to NC State my sophomore year, she eased back. I started kicking going into my eighth grade year, and that is when my dad said, 'I think you can have a great future in this.' "He believed in me and pushed me. He started taking me to different kicking coaches. I give all the credit to my dad." When Dunn committed fully to being the best kicker he could be, he constructed his own practice facility. "I built an old H-style field goal post out of three ce- dar trees that I had c h o p p e d d o w n ," Dunn said. "To go f r o m k i c k i n g o n those goal posts in the backyard to Carter-Finley Stadium. … It's really cool to see where I started to where I am right now." Family means everything for Dunn, who has three younger brothers and a younger sister. His parents, Christopher David and Kimberly, plan to attend every Wolf- pack game this season. Dunn's 7-year-old brother Ivan was adopted from Uganda four years ago and became a big fan of the "Big Guy," which was Garrett Bradbury, who is now with the Minnesota Vikings. "Having him here has definitely been a major impact on my life in a good way," Dunn said. "I hope I can impact him as much as he's impacted me personally." Dunn's other brothers are Connor (12 years old) and Carson (9), and he also has a sister Reagan (16). Sometimes Connor or Carson will let people know "this is my brother, the kicker for NC State." Connor hopes to be a college kicker one day. "They are always asking for autographs for their friends," Dunn said. "They are al- ways so passionate and enthusiastic around me." Dunn is majoring in communications with a concentration in media and arts. When his football career is over, he has aspirations of running the family farm. "After my college career is over or the NFL — which is my dream and goal — I want to move back and farm," he said. "It is fun, peaceful and a stress reliever." ■ "God has blessed me with a great opportunity at NC State, and if I can take total advantage, I'll have a good career here. … Hopefully, I'll come out with the Lou Groza Award this year." ■ Dunn