Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
2 8 M A R C H 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hen you're recruiting a specialist, it isn't just the measurables — dis- tances and percentages and hang times and such — that determine whether you offer a scholarship or not. Sometimes, it's the way the ball moves when it comes off someone's foot that makes the big- gest impression. New Penn State special teams coordi- nator Stacy Collins was asked recently what separates a scholarship-worthy kicker from someone who might simply warrant an invitation to walk on. He ex- plained that some specialists are … well … special. They have a gift that ordinary kickers don't possess. If you're a student of the kicking game, you know it when you see it. "It's similar to a baseball pitcher — you can throw in the 90s or you can't," Col- lins said. "Does that ball jump off his foot the way it needs to jump off his foot? "There are really only a handful of guys throughout the nation — and quite frankly, throughout the world — who have that elite status. That's what you're looking to get." It appears that the Nittany Lions got one of those guys in 2022 signee Alex Bacchetta. Bacchetta has been booming kicks and punts and impressing kicking-savvy coaches for several years now. He's the top punting prospect and No. 8 kick- ing prospect in the country, according to Kohl's Kicking, and he's got a three-star rating in the On3 Consensus. The scouts at Kohl's predicted after his performance at their Underclassman Challenge in January 2021 — a showing they labeled "dominant" — that Bac- chetta would end up on scholarship at a Power Five school. "His frame and leg speed separate him from the rest of his peers," the Kohl's scouts wrote on Bacchetta's profile page. "The ball jumps off his foot. He had an impressive showing in both kicking and punting. Bacchetta's punting should only get better as he continues to master his drop and rhythm. Bacchetta is cur- rently more mature athletically and just stronger than others his age in both kick- ing and punting." Bacchetta hails from the same Atlanta high school — Westminster — as Blake Gillikin, a four-year starting punter for the Nittany Lions who last season started for the New Orleans Saints. Bacchetta, who averaged 40.3 yards on 24 punts as a senior at Westminster, had already signed when Collins came aboard in January. But he checks the boxes that Collins wants checked. And when he gets on campus in the coming months, he'll have a chance to check the boxes that coaches can't check ahead of time. "What you're really looking for when you offer a scholarship is elite talent," Collins said. "Then you've got to find that mental mindset. Can he kick in front of 107,000 people? Can he punt it ... when the game is truly on the line?" Penn State could get its answers fairly quickly. With Stout having moved on, Bacchetta may be better positioned than anyone in the Nittany Lions' 2022 re- cruiting class to start on opening day. ■ Bacchetta is the top-rated punter and eighth-ranked kicker in the 2022 recruiting cycle according to Kohl's Kicking. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Alex Bacchetta Ranks As Elite Punting Prospect M AT T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ALEX BACCHETTA P | 6-2 | 205 WESTMINSTER SCHOOL ATLANTA, GA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE consensus ✪ ✪ ✪ 2022 8 185 ✪ ✪ ✪ — — — — — — — ✪ ✪ — — — ✪ ✪ ✪ — 3 164 STATISTICS • Averaged 40.3 yards on 24 punts as a senior, and 30 of 34 kickoffs were not returned. • Kicked eight field goals and earned touchbacks on 23 of 26 kickoffs as a junior. • Averaged 41 yards on six punts and converted 13 of 15 field goal attempts as a sophomore. • Hit all five of his field goal tries as a freshman. NOTABLE • Rated the No. 1 punter and No. 8 kicker in the class of 2022 by Kohl's Kicking. • Helped the Westminster soccer team win a state championship in 2019. • Attends the same high school as former Penn State punter Blake Gillikin. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Penn State on May 25, 2021. • Chose the Lions over Arkansas and Virginia. • Recruited by former special teams coordinator Joe Lorig. • Took his official visit to Penn State on Dec. 10, 2021. 2022 PROJECTION Bacchetta arrives just as Big Ten Punter of the Year Jordan Stout is leaving. While the Lions have a couple of walk-on punters returning, Bacchetta will have a chance to jump immediately into a starting role, just as Gillikin did in 2016. THEY SAID IT Joe Sturniolo, Westminster School kicking coach: "He's constantly striving to be better and wants to be coached hard. He wants to win and contribute to the team at each position he can. He made a huge contribution to our team as a punter and kicker."