Utah kicking duo named Pre-Season All-Americans

As we inch closer to the upcoming college football season, we are going to start seeing pre-season All-America teams as well as the various awards watch lists, and one of the first has come out with Athlon Sports’ All-America team. The Utes placed two on the list, and to really no ones surprise, it’s the kicking duo of Matt Gay and Mitch Wishnowsky.

Utah boasts arguably the best special teams in the country because of the defending Lou Groza Award winner and the former Ray Guy Award winner. Matt Gay had an incredible first season at the U, earning the Groza, and continued Utah’s run of very good kickers. He truly was a weapon when the Utes reached about the 35 yard line, and that’s a nice card to have in your back pocket. I believe he could nail a 60 yarder if needed.

Wishnowsky had a bit of a down season last year, and that was due to some injuries. Being a semi-finalist for the Guy Award is nothing to be disappointed about, but you could tell something was off last year, especially as the season went along. As long as he’s feeling good, I believe he should be one of the favorites, if not the favorite to win the award again.

In the overlooked aspect of football, when you can not worry about the kicking game, anxiety drops immensely. Whether it’s a potential game winning field goal or a punt to flip the field, Utah has that area of the game locked down.

Check out Athlon’s full list by clicking here.