By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE – Scholarship offers can sometimes be hard to find for high school football kickers, but for former Hewitt-Trussville standout T.J. McGettigan, countless hours of sharpening his craft has officially paid off.
The Huskies’ do-it-all kicking specialist from a year ago will attend the University of West Alabama on a football scholarship. McGettigan performed well at a tryout in July and was immediately offered a scholarship.
Former Hewitt-Trussville kicker T.J. McGettigan kicks field goals during practice last season
photo by Ron Burkett
“It was basically a tryout. I kicked for their coach and they like me, so that’s when I got [offered],” McGettigan said of his opportunity, which was arranged by his kicking coach Brian Jackson.
He believes he could have an opportunity to play early, as a competition between himself and another freshman kicker will commence soon.
“It will be between me and [another freshman],” McGettigan said. “Most likely we will split the kicking position. Maybe one of us will do kickoffs and the other will do field goals.”
McGettigan, a member of the first ever All-Tribune football team, takes pride in the height and velocity of his kicks. With that in mind, the former Huskie will give West Alabama a strong candidate for kickoffs.
“I have around a 52 to 55-yard leg, which puts me five to seven yards deep [in the end zone],” said McGettigan of his kickoff distance.
He added that he reaches a four-second hang time on his kickoffs, which can be beneficial for the coverage team.
“Field position is a very important situation that a lot of people don’t give a lot of credit to,” he said. “Having great field position and pinning the other team deep in their own territory is huge.”
McGettigan credits much of his recruitment to self-promotion, acknowledging that going through the recruiting process as a kicker differs greatly from what position players encounter on the ever so competitive recruiting trail.
“We basically do everything for ourselves. You have to go to camp after camp after camp because kickers are one of the last positions recruited, if recruited at all,” McGettigan said. “We’re given some credit, but not really. We’re called upon when needed.”
He points to his active camp schedule and his willingness to reach out to college coaches as the key factors, other than talent, to getting him on a college roster.
