The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 59 BY ANTHONY BROOME B randon Kornblue is one of the elite names in coaching circles when it comes to the kicking game, and it all began at the University of Michigan. His passion for making his mark as a special teamer started at a young age, and Ann Arbor was the place he wanted to do it. A native of Boca Raton, Fla., Korn- blue and his father made it out to a game when he was a child, and it planted the seed for everything that was to follow. "I grew up watching Michigan games and rooting for Michigan, but getting a chance to be in the Big House and see what the program was all about was special," Kornblue recalled. "It's a pretty common occurrence for some- body who's got all their senses to realize how special a place it is. There was a big emphasis on academics growing up. And then the athletics … they're 'lead- ers and best' for a reason. "A day or two before the game [we at- tended], we were trying to peek around the practice field and just kind of get a glimpse of practice and the guys. One of the GAs saw us and said, 'Can I help you? You know, practice is closed.' We just gave him the story. He's like, 'You know what, come with me.' And so he brought us into the indoor facility and let me kick a few. So, I knew I wanted to be a kicker from the time I was 6 or 7 years old. "Then he brought me into the locker room a little bit later and introduced me to the whole team and explained that we came up to watch the guys play this weekend. Almost every player came up and shook my hand. Some gave me the wristbands I still have to this day. "If I wasn't a Michigan fan before, I was hooked then. It was just one of those things growing up, it further em- phasized my goal and dream to kick at Michigan." Kornblue developed into a prep kick- ing prospect, winning the Lou Groza Award as the high school kicker of the year in his area in Florida. However, he did not have any FBS scholarship offers. That did not deter him from his goal of playing at U-M. "Michigan was where I wanted to be," Kornblue said. "I looked at some other places, but everything lined up to where that was where I wanted to spend my college years. Jay Feeley and Kraig Baker were scholarship guys a year before I got there, so it was the worst possible timing in terms of wanting to be able to play. I didn't care. When it all came down to it, it was just the place for me." Kornblue was at Michigan from 1996- 99 and was part of a recruiting class that included Tom Brady and Charles Woodson, which allowed him to be part of a storied era in program history and a national champion in 1997. He was named Academic All-Big Ten in 1999. That same season, he made the only field goal of his career — a 26-yarder with 33 seconds to go in a 37-3 win over Northwestern. But even before then, his impact was felt inside the Michigan locker room. His peers started to look at him as a source of feedback and attention to detail. "That kind of started when I was a freshman and [All-American] Remy Hamilton was a senior," Kornblue said. "He would come off the sideline and would ask me questions and asked for my feedback. And at the time I was like, 'Why is he asking a walk-on freshman for feedback?' That was when I realized I had an eye for details and for technique." That was where his interest in coach- ing and helping others unlock their po- tential came about. "When I graduated, I went back to my old high school and started helping out and eventually became a special teams coordinator and kicking coach," Korn- blue said. "Then I was asked to help at different kicking camps. I think that's kind of where I developed and grew as a coach or at least started the process. I really didn't think that I was going to do it full-time. "But I saw some things in the kicking industry that I didn't like that I thought I could improve on." After spending six seasons with the Florida Firecats of the Arena Football League, he founded Kornblue Kicking in 2007, and a year later he was running camps at U-M and other major univer- sities. ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Brandon Kornblue Finds His Calling As A Kicking Guru Kornblue, who attended Michigan from 1996-99, was named Academic All-Big Ten in 1999. That same season, he made the only field goal of his career — a 26-yarder with 33 seconds remaining in a 37-3 win over Northwestern. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY