Blue White Illustrated

Pinegar's skill set includes more than just kicking J ake Pinegar doesn't want to be con- strained by the presumed limitations of his position. James Franklin doesn't want that, either. Franklin's mission has been to pursue the nation's best high school athletes, and it has spilled over into the specialist po- sitions. Pinegar's commitment is an illus- tration of that mindset. A kicker, Pinegar earned All-State recognition as a defensive back during his junior season. He also owns school records in track and 6eld and has garnered accolades on the soccer 6eld as well. In other words, Pinegar is not a typical kicker. As he prepares for his arrival at Penn State in the summer, he's training far more than just his leg. "I'm still trying to be as strong as I can be and be the best athlete that I can be, and do all the other stu8 that I do, like running and footwork, because I believe that makes me the best kicker when I'm the most agile and quick," Pinegar said. "So I'm trying to take all aspects of it [and] take my game to the best [level] it can be before I head up." Pinegar, who is expected to compete for the starting place-kicker position this summer, adds another versatile presence for the Nittany Lions on special teams. Pinegar says his mold is similar to that of Penn State punter Blake Gillikin, whose athleticism has bene6ted the Nittany Lions on more than one occasion in his two-year career. "I'd like to think that I'm like that," Pinegar said, "a specialist but also [some- one with] a little bit of athleticism who can help when certain situations come up." The Ankeny, Iowa, native also has a cannon for a leg. A popular video posted in October showed Pinegar drilling a kick from 75 yards out, and he said he feels comfortable attempting kicks from about 60 yards during game action. Rated a two-star recruit by Rivals with a second Power Five o8er from Indiana, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Pinegar con- nected on 9 of 13 6eld goals during his senior season at Ankeny Centennial High. He hit a 52-yard attempt and came within inches of making a kick from beyond 60 yards. He said his range was put to the test o9en throughout the year. "I think the season went OK," he said. "Some 6eld goals I wish I could take back because there were just small things or little twitches that I could work on. I thought it went well overall. I tried a lot of deep 6eld goals this year, a lot of ones where they were probably 60, 65 yards. I was pretty consistent on the ones closer than that." Pinegar also said he believes his leg strength took a signi6cant step forward during his 6nal high school campaign, and it's that, combined with his athleti- cism, that compelled Franklin to speak enthusiastically about the young kicker. "We're excited about him," Franklin said during his signing day teleconference in early February. "[Pinegar] has played other positions and has been successful and is an athlete and comes from an ath- letic family. We were able to watch him kick live in one of our satellite camps. He was crushing the ball. So we're excited about it." A9er averaging about 60 yards on 37 kicko8s during in his senior season, it's possible that Pinegar could 6nd himself in that role as well at Penn State. Tyler Davis handled the majority of kicko8 and 6eld goal duties for the Nittany Lions last year, but he graduated following nearly three full seasons as a starter. Franklin has said more than once that he prefers to have one player specialize in 6eld goals and another take care of kicko8 duties. Pinegar, however, is out to prove he can handle both roles. "There's not one that I want to do more than the other," he said. "I'm looking to come in and do both right away." His eagerness to see action as quickly as possible re7ects a mindset that is 6ercely competitive. In that respect, he's very much like his fellow recruits. And he's like them in another respect, too: When he arrives in University Park, Pinegar will be another exceptional ath- lete on a team that is full of them, not just a specialist with a distinct and narrowly de6ned skill set. "There are not a lot – if any – guys who are also good athletes who kick," he said. "So I kind of take a lot of pride in it, being one of very few." ■ | CLICK HERE to see video of Pinegar in action. THE PINEGAR FILE STATS Hit 9 of 13 field goal attempts as a senior with a long kick of 52 yards... Also played defensive back and receiver dur- ing his last three seasons, helping Centennial High go 9-3 dur- ing the 2017 season HONORS Named a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 9 kicker in the Class of 2018 by Kohls Kicking... Won first-team All-State honors as a kicker following his senior sea- son and third-team honors as a defensive back his junior year

• Cover