Ariel and Kelly
Vaught’s note: Kelly Melton is a 7-year-old youngster from Science Hill, an a Kentucky fan, who has been diagnosed with leukemia. Vaughtsviews.com follower Ariel Calahan says he calls her”my bestie” and has been a family friend since Kelly was born and says “I consider him my little brother I never had.” She shares his story today and how so many UK athletes have taken time to be part of his life and what that has meant to him.
By ARIEL CALAHAN
I was there the day Kelly was diagnosed with Leukemia. Waiting with the family to find out what was going to happen next. We waited over four hours to be transported to UK Children’s Hospital in Lexington. That is an hour and a half away from where we live. Kelly had no clue what was going on at this point. All he knew was he was being taken to another hospital and as far as he knew he just had a bad ear ache, which is why he went to the doctor in the first place. They loaded him in the ambulance around 11 p.m.. We all went to tell him by and the words outta his mouth were, “I got Skittles in my socks!” His smile never left his face!
Once he got to UK Children’s Hospital. they started chemo immediately. He wasn’t allowed visitors at first because they were worried he would catch something which would make it harder for the chemo to take effect. He was in the hospital for 48 long days. Within those 48 days he really only saw his mom. His dad was there at the start, but he had to get back to work. His two brothers and sister hardly saw him. Maybe a couple times they got to go up and see him. I personally was there as much as possible! I did everything to make sure he never lost his smile, and those who know Kelly knows he always had a smile on his face!
UK punter Landon Foster is at right in this photo with Kelly. (photo courtesy Ariel Calahan)
Sometimes it would just be me who went up and sat in the bed playing Legos or a Wii game with Kelly. Other times I would take my friend up with me and we would both play games and just make him happy doing whatever he wanted! He didn’t really get out of bed much the first 48 days. He was tired and had no energy to do anything. One day his parents asked me if I would start a page for him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Kickinit4Kelly) and Twitter (@Kickinit4Kelly) so family and friends could know what was going on because they couldn’t call everyone and let them all know. To this day Kelly has 1,488 likes on Facebook and 3,243 followers on Twitter. People posting on his wall or tweeting him made for a great day when I would go up and let him see them. Of course, we read them to him because he is only in first grade and he is learning to read these bigger words in the hospital and at home right now!
Towards the end of the 48-day stay I sent a DM (direct message) on twitter to Martavius Neloms (former UK safety/CB) asking if he could come visit Kelly. He came back saying he would love to visit Kelly and asked if he could bring a few others with him. Christian Coleman (UK DT) had asked if he could come visit Kelly and of course we said yes. When the day came, Christian had brought Kelly a UK sock monkey and signed it for him. Mr. Socky hung on Kelly’s chemo bag.
Martavius, also known as Tay to Kelly, came and brought along Jonathan George (UK RB), Ashely Lowery (UK Safety), and Marcus Caffey (former UK CB). So there was five UK football players, Kelly, Kelly’s parents, my father and myself squished in a tiny hospital room, but we made it work and Kelly loved them the moment they walked in! Those boys were nothing but kind to Kelly and the rest of us. They all signed Kelly’s UK shirt he was wearing at the time! They stay for about two hours. The moment they left, Kelly said “that was awesome!”
Kelly got to go home for Thanksgiving, but got a temperature and had to go back the hospital. He was home for about three days. He was then in the hospital for 20-day stay. A lot of just little random things had happened throughout this stay, but the one that sticks out is when Martavius and Jonathan came back to spend another day with Kelly. Kelly had called me telling me that they came back to see him and I missed it! But don’t worry they still had a lot of fun!
Martavius also got Kelly a #1 UK football jersey and signed it for him for Christmas. Kelly was so excited when he gave it to him! Martavius was heading home for Christmas break after that visit and Kelly was so upset because he wouldn’t be able to see him until he got back. We went a long time waiting for Martavius to come back because he headed to training camps. But when he got back to Lexington, sure enough he came by to let Kelly know! Christian also got Kelly a Star Wars Lego set and a UK draw string back pack with his number on it for Christmas! Kelly loves Star Wars and Legos, so put those together and Christian was just right on track! Kelly takes the backpack to the hospital with all his Legos in it.
Martavius and Christian had come back to see Kelly and the others would check up on him via Twitter. Then one random day, it was late at night and normally Kelly doesn’t sleep to well, I got a message from Kelly’s mom. I wasn’t thinking of anything when she said, “Kelly is wide awake, will talk soon.” It was almost midnight when I received a text from a number which I didn’t know. But within the message was a picture of Kelly and Nerlens Noel (former UK basketball player). We thought it was amazing that he would come visit Kelly. After the visit Kelly would ask us all the time about his friend Nerlens.
We didn’t tell Kelly that he probably wouldn’t see him again. We all assumed it was a one-time thing. But boy were we wrong. About a month after the visit I got a message from the number which I didn’t know asking me how Kelly was. I told them and they came back with, “Can we visit him today?” So Kelly had yet another visit with his friend Nerlens. Kelly loved him visiting. They would just sit around and talk about everything and anything.
Kelly is a big football fan and a big UK fan so you put those together and he is a huge UK football fan. I thought it would be great if he could go to the Spring Game with me, which I had got tickets for right when they went on sale. We asked the doctors and they cleared it saying he could go! I had told Christian about it and he said I will get back with you. I had no clue what that meant. But he had talked to Coach Stoops and they got it to where Kelly could be on the sidelines during the game. Coach Stoops also came to visit Kelly in the hospital the week before the game! He gave him a UK football, which he signed for him. We did not tell Kelly anything until the day of and we were at the stadium. Kelly and the rest of us got a tour of the locker room and much more. Kelly got to run the practice field and go into the locker room before the game. He had a smile on his face the whole day! He also got the game ball at the end. Coach Stoops and all the players and all the other coaches made sure that day was all about Kelly and super special.
After the game we were posting the pictures on Facebook and Twitter when Landon Foster (UK Kicker/Punter) saw one of him and said he would love to visit Kelly in the hospital. I told him to come on over and he brought along Max Strong (UK Kicker) and Kelly Mason (UK long snapper). I had bought Kelly a new Lego set because Landon had told me how great a Lego builder he was! So all four of them sat in the hospital room building this Lego set! They were all so wild and crazy that day, playing random games and shooting each other with the missiles on the Lego set. It was just a great day in general. They ended up staying for four hours. Landon had given Kelly his cleats from last season and signed them for him. They had told me after that they really wasn’t expecting to have as much fun as they really did and that they would definitely be back soon to continue the war they started!
Two weeks ago while Kelly was in the hospital getting his chemo, I had got a message from Nerlens’ friend asking how Kelly was doing and if they could come visit again. Of course we made sure they got to visit before Kelly came home. Kelly and Nerlens compared their scars and Kelly was in shock how big Nerlens scar was! So he won the biggest scar.
Kelly got out of the hospital that night and went over to their house where they gave him a UK basketball signed by Nerlens. Most people saw an interview which Nerlens had done. Somehow we missed it, but wonderful followers on Twitter made sure we saw it. Nerlens talked about Kelly saying he “loved him like his little brother”. This is so true. I had met up with Nerlens’ friend to give him something when he mentioned a possibility of Kelly being able to go the Derby with Nerlens. At that moment we didn’t know if anything was official so we kept it between us. The next day he called me saying Nerlens really would like Kelly to go with him. We worked it out and found a way for Kelly to be able to go. Kelly spent the day with Nerlens and a couple of his friends. All five of them treated Kelly like he was a prince. They were all sweet and caring about him. Kelly was in heaven when he was told to go wake Nerlens up! Those boys took Kelly under their wings to make sure he had a great time!
Having this all these guys caring so much about Kelly and doing anything possible to make sure he is smiling and happy means everything to me and his family. I see a difference in Kelly when the guys are around. He is free to be himself, not that he isn’t all the time, but when you’re stuck in a hospital room and only seeing the same people over and over it gets crazy! So when they come to visit you can tell his levels boosted up.
He doesn’t see them as famous people like a lot of people do. He gets asked all the time how it feels to be around them and he will say “it’s like how I’m around you”. He calls them his best friends. When he finds out any of them are coming he gets the high pitch squirmy squeal. That’s how you know he is excited!
As for the guys who do come to visit him, Martavius had once said, “I never knew my best friend would be 7 years old”. Nerlens considers Kelly his little brother. The other guys are always saying how they love visiting Kelly after class because it gives them something to look forward too! You can tell when they are in the room with Kelly that Kelly means everything to them. They do everything and anything for him. These are relationships they will have the rest their lives.
Martavius and Christian have been with Kelly pretty much from the start. When either one would find out Kelly was having a rough day while in the hospital they would find a way to come see him. I remember texting Martavius one day saying Kelly was having a rough day. He wouldn’t talk to any of us. Martavius replied with, “I’m on my way.” He walked in and Kelly’s face lit up. Christian would come over after class just to drop by and say hey. Both these guys mean the world to Kelly and the family. We want to thank them for all they have for and continue to do for Kelly!
Click on the photo above of Kelly talking to vaughtsviews.com’s Ashley Scoby to watch the video taken at UK’s spring football game.
While there has been no media access to players since Mark Stoops was named head coach, UK did provide quotes from certain players about the hiring. Enjoy.
Question: What about Stoops being a defensive-minded coach?
Landon Foster: “Defensively minded guys really enjoy punting, obviously, because of field position. In high school, my defensive coordinator loved me and he would always take pride in telling me where he wanted the punts to go, which side of the field he wanted me to punt to. I think defensive-minded coaches really care, enjoy and understand the importance of punting and field position. That is obviously exciting.”
Khalid Henderson: “I was very excited, being that I am a freshman and have a lot more years to play here at the University of Kentucky. I felt it was a great opportunity for me to have a more defensive-minded coach that can help me out in the long run.”
Avery Williamson: “Yeah, it is kind of exciting. I know that he is going to be a really aggressive. I am excited to see what his coaching style is and what he brings to the table.”
Question: What was your first impression of the hire?
A.J. Legree: “My home state is Florida and growing up my cousin (Kendyll Pope) played for the Seminoles and I was a Seminoles fan, so I was kind of excited. I know some guys from there like Timmy Jernigan (defensive tackle at Florida State), but I haven’t really called or texted them asking how he is. I want it to be a surprise. I just want to soak it all in and work hard like I did last season.”
Maxwell Smith: “I was surprised, in a good way. I didn’t really expect that and I think it is a good answer for our team. I have heard a lot about him and heard a lot about his defenses so I thought it would be a good fit for us. I watched a lot of Pac-12 football being from California, so I know a lot about that defense. I have watched a lot of football in general, so I know a lot about his defense. I know his brothers some and I was recruited by his brother (Mike) some at Arizona and got to meet his brother there.”
Patrick Towles: “I have never met (coach Stoops) but from what I hear he is a very enthusiastic guy and very, very passionate, which is what I think we need around here. We need a guy that is going to come in and not take any nonsense and going to get us to start winning football games.”
Williamson: “I started to look into it and got really excited. He is a great defensive coordinator and he has a great defense down there. I feel good about the pick.”
Jalen Whitlow: “My high school teammate (who plays at Florida State) said that he loves him and all the guys love him and that he is a good guy and good coach. I am excited for him to get here and try to get some wins and get to a bowl game next year.”
Henderson: “I know about the Stoops family overall and some of the similar coaching styles. Based upon the defense he ran at other places it is a very exciting defense and they fly around a lot.”
Question: What has athletics director Mitch Barnhart told the team the last few days?
Foster: “Just to continue what we are doing academically and just continue to work hard in the classroom and in the weight room. Obviously, everyone is excited about Coach Stoops coming and he is excited, too. He wants that to carry on in the weight room and classroom as well.”
Legree: “Just to stay positive and work hard.”
Smith: “The message was just to let us know what he (coach Stoops) is about. He wanted to make sure that we stayed on top of our grades.”
Whitlow: “He just polished us up on getting good grades and staying focused and doing everything we have to do so we are ready. When Coach Stoops comes in we need to be ready to work.”
Williamson: “To expect an up-tempo and really aggressive style of coaching and be ready to work hard because that is the type of guy that Coach Stoops is.”
Question: What is the mood of the team like now that there is a new head coach?
Legree: “The guys are looking at it as we are making a transition right now. The guys are focused on getting better and working out and finishing this semester right. We are excited.”
Towles: “I would say that last week we were all just waiting patiently for a decision. When we heard who the coach was going to be there was definitely a since of excitement and anxiousness to meet him. Now it is go time. Now, we know what the future holds and we have to work as hard as we can to be productive.”
Whitlow: “Everybody is up and intense and ready to get started. We are ready for a fresh start.”
Question: It is nice to have the roller coaster emotions of the last three weeks over?
Towles: “It has been a roller coaster, that is for sure. Like you said, a couple three weeks ago is when we found out that Coach Phillips wouldn’t return next season and that was emotional. We really do still love him and we wish the best for him. The win here at Senior Night was awesome to send these guys out of Lexington with a win. Yesterday, finding out who our head coach was going to be next year just really excited me. It should really excite the fans, too.”
Williamson: “I am glad that we got a win for coach Phillips on his last home game and for the seniors as well. This has been a rocky season with a lot of stuff happening, ups and down and different emotions.”
Question: What will it be like to finally meet Stoops?
Towles: “I think excitement. First impressions are everything and we are super excited to have him here to join us in an effort to compete to get to Atlanta (for the SEC championship game).”
Whitlow: “We are excited, of course. Very excited. We are ready for a change, ready to get started and ready to beat some teams next year.”
Williamson: “I really don’t know, I am just excited to see what it is going to be like.”
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By KEITH TAYLOR, Winchester Sun
Kentucky football coach Joker Phillips is counting on a lot of freshmen to carry the load for his team at the midway point of the season.
One of those newcomers — punter Landon Foster — has been a consistent performer for the Wildcats and turned in a solid outing in Kentucky’s 27-14 loss to Mississippi State Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.
Foster had eight punts for 350 yards, an average of 43.8 yards per kick against the Bulldogs, including a 56-yarder in the first quarter. Foster had three punts soar inside the 20-yard line and didn’t have any touchbacks.
“Those please me,” Foster said of the 56-yard kick that landed at the MSU 19-yard line. “The other ones don’t and I try to get more like those and less like the others.”
Foster admitted that he wasn’t “too pleased” with his red-zone punting and would like to add more yardage to his punts inside the 20-yard line.
“I like to get it (the ball) inside the 10,” he said. “You definitely want to pin the other team back as far as you can and that’s fun (thing) about punting and it’s the name of the game.”
Since he arrived at Kentucky, Foster has noticed a difference in the returners and the block schemes, which are more elevated than the ones he experienced in the prep ranks a year ago.
“When I was in high school, we just zone protected and got it out in plenty of time, but in college you definitely have a lot more block schemes and more time in the film room,” he said. “That’s definitely different and the get off time with the hand and foot.”
Foster said the “hand and foot” time is a lot quicker.
“It’s a lot quicker from high school to college,” he said.
Foster’s top priority is to be “more consistent” as he delves deeper into his freshman campaign.
“That’s the difference between high school and college and college and pro is your consistency,” he said. “I want to hit the same goal, with a 50-yard (kick) and five-minute hang (time). In college you do it five out of 10 times and in pro, you do it nine out of 10. I’ve obviously got to get more consistent.”
During the game, Foster keeps up with the progression when the Cats are on defense, but is more into his field when the offensive unit has possession of the ball.
“On first down, I watch the play and catch a couple of punt snaps from the long snapper,” he said. “On second down, hit a couple of punt attempts and on third down, I go into the box at midfield and repeat the process on first down. If not, I got out to punt.”
Foster isn’t happy when he doesn’t get off a solid attempt and describes himself as a perfectionist.
“You can’t do anything about (a bad punt),” he said. “You’ve got to move on to the next one and make sure that’s the best one you can get. I like to be inside the 10- or inside the 5-yard line.”
In addition to Foster’s outing, Kentucky’s special teams unit limited the Bulldogs to just 33 yards on three punt and kickoff returns combined. Avery Williamson recovered an onsides kick with 6:22 remaining in the third quarter after Jalen Whitlow scored on a 3-yard run to make the score 27-14. Kentucky failed to convert in the turnover and neither team scored for the remainder of the contest.
Foster said the team’s 1-5 start and current four-game losing streak is frustrating at times, but enjoys being around his teammates.
“That’s just football,” he said. “I enjoy this team and love being around this team. We’re really talented, but we’re getting banged up and that’s unfortunate. We’ve just got to keep moving forward.”
University of Kentucky sophomore quarterback Maxwell Smith and true freshman punter Landon Foster have been honored for their performances in Kentucky’s 47-14 victory over Kent State on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.
Smith, a native of Granada Hills, Calif., earned a “helmet sticker” from ESPN.com, was named Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week by SouthernPigskin.com and Honorable Mention Quarterback of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards. Foster, a native Franklin, Tenn., was named Honorable Mention Punter of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards for the second consecutive week.
Smith put together a career performance for Kentucky in the win against Kent State, completing 30-of-39 passes for a career-high 354 yards and four touchdowns. The four touchdown passes were the most for a UK player since Mike Hartline had four against Georgia in 2010. Smith’s 354 passing yards were also the most since Andre’ Woodson had 430 against Tennessee in 2007. Smith connected with 10 different receivers in the win, including four different receivers who caught touchdown passes.
For the season, Smith is 65-of-89 for 634 yards and six touchdowns. The sophomore ranks seventh in the SEC and 32nd nationally in passing efficiency at 155.12 rating points and second in the SEC and 24th nationally in total offense at 313.5 yards per game. As a team, Kentucky is 18th nationally and third in the conference in pass offense and 29th in the nation and fifth in the SEC in passing efficiency.
Foster has been a huge part of Kentucky’s field position game so far this season. The true freshman punted three times Saturday against Kent State, averaging 50.7 yards per punt with a net yardage of 49.0. Overall, Foster has five punts this season for an average of 48.0 yards per punt, pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line twice with no touchbacks.
As a team, Kentucky ranks third nationally and second in the SEC in net punting at 48.8, while Foster ranks second in the conference. Foster does not have the minimum number of punts to rank nationally; however, his 48.0 average would rank sixth.
Landon Foster
By LARRY VAUGHT
One true freshman who will start is punter Landon Foster, who was expected to step into a role Tim Masthay and Ryan Tydlacka successfully filled in past year.
“He can handle the pressure. He’s a different breed. We’ve had two freshmen (Masthay and Tydlacka) out there at that position since we’ve been here. He’s no different than those guys,” Kentucky coach Joker Phillips said. “He’s a relaxed guy. He’s been an athlete in games. So I feel good about him. He’ll do well for us. Need him to be consistent in punting, punting the right direction.”
True freshmen running backs Dyshawn Mobley and Justin Taylor are not on the two-deep chart, but with sophomore Josh Clemons out with a knee injury for at least this game Phillips admitted both should play.
“I’m very confident and comfortable about the running back position. Again, those two young guys give us the ability to have even more depth than we originally thought we’d have before the season,” Phillips said. “Again, there are four guys that have played significant roles since they’ve been here at the tailback position. Just adding those two guys gives us even more depth.”
Freshmen receivers Demarcus Sweat and A.J. Legree are not on the depth chart, either, despite being the talk of preseason camp. Instead, seniors E.J. Fields, Gene McCaskill and LaRod King are listed No. 1. Even sophomore Demarco Robinson, the receiver Phillips has raved about the most during August, is second on the depth chart behind King. Seldom-used senior Aaron Boyd is also No. 2 behind Fields and above Sweat and Legree.
However, Phillips said the freshmen would play.
“You worry about those guys getting big‑eyed right off the bat. But they’ll play. They’ll play a lot,” Phillips said. “But those three guys have done a really good job and deserve to be the guys that run out there first. I’m really proud of Aaron Boyd. He’s done a really good job. Really proud of E.J. Both those guys we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting, and now I think the time has come for those guys to play big roles for us. They’ve done a really good job of helping the young guys also.
“Then Gene McCaskill, it’s been two years that he’s been battling injuries. Really happy that he’ll have an opportunity to play this season also. I mean, Gene is a guy we had really high hopes for, especially after year two when we thought he would be our number three receiver with Randall (Cobb) and Chris Matthews. He hurt his knee. Hasn’t gotten back to form until this year.”
Landon Foster
By HAL MORRIS, hmorris@amnews.com
From the moment the ink dried on his letter-of-intent, Landon Foster has been expected to walk in and take over as Kentucky’s punter. The freshman from Tennessee was rated as one of the to 12 kickers in the nation by two scouting services, and was the No. 10 prospect in the state of Tennessee by SuperPrep.
But Foster did not take anything for granted, knowing he had to earn his spot just like everyone else.
“I’m not expecting anything. Just coming in to compete really,” said Foster, who is competing with junior Joe Mansour for the punting duties. “The competition, I believe, is great for everyone. I hope to win the starting job. That’s something everyone wants to do, everyone comes here to play.”
Kentucky coach Joker Phillips said that Foster gets off punts “as fast as we’ve ever had” at UK.
And after a stellar prep career, Foster likes his chances to see the feld immediately even though Phillips has yet to specifically name him the starter when the Cats play at Sept. 2 at Louisville.
The all-state kicker averaged 41.3 yards per punt, hit 11 of 16 field goals and 50 of his 56 kickoffs went for touchbacks with four others being onsides kicks. He was named his team’s most valuable player and was named to Tennesseean’s “Dream Team” all-classes football team.
Foster believes he and a lot of his freshmen teammates can play this year.
“All the freshmen, we all feel we’ve got the opportunity to play. That’s what (coaches) told us,” Foster said on Media Day when true freshmen were available to the media. “We’re not like any other school where you come in and they say, ‘We’re going to put you fifth on the depth chart.’ They say, ‘We got you for a reason, we think you can play now.’ That’s great knowing that’s how they feel.”
Foster said he was named all-state as a punter and kicker, but for now he would just focus on punting since UK has senior Craig McIntosh for placekicking duties. “Coach Phillips said on my in-home visit to just focus on punting, we really need that now,” he said. “And after that, we’ll see.”
Foster is also facing the challenge of following punters Tim Masthay and Ryan Tydlacka. Foster said he has had a chance to work with both former players.
“Ryan was my host for my official visit, and Tim came back when I camped here my second time. They’re great guys who have had huge success as a punter,” Foster said. “When I committed, everyone said, ‘Welcome to Punter U.’ It’s a nice feeling that people here understand the importance and the role of good special teams.
Masthay is with Green Bay, and Tydlacka is a free agent after getting cut by Philadelphia last month. Foster said both players came back during the offseason and talked to him about not just punting, but school, life and how to handle college.
But he did get a lot of good advice on his punting as well from the two.
“You pick up a lot of things. You help them, they help you,” he said. “When you’re punting by yourself, you can only feel so much. You’ve learned to teach yourself, really. But to have another guy there to look at you and work with you is great. They came back in the offseason and punted, and we helped each other. It was great.”
By ASHLEY SCOBY
They are the ones who are on the field prior to a game before any of their teammates. They’re the ones who are most likely to be blamed for a close loss. They are, nine times out of 10, the most flexible guys on a football team. Yet they are the ones considered “not as athletic” as most other football players.
If you haven’t guessed “kickers/punters” yet, you probably don’t watch enough football.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard a football announcer talk about the kicker or punter of a football team being taken off the soccer team, and he’s great with his feet but otherwise not very athletic. Yeah? Me too.
UK freshman Landon Foster is coming to Lexington to change that. The 6’1, 200-pounder out of Franklin, Tennessee is already getting looked at as more than the typical punter. I talked to Foster at Media Day last week about how the fans view his position and how crucial his position actually is to the outcome of a football game.
“They (the fans) realize how important Ryan (Tydlacka) was, how important Tim (Masthay) was, they understand that,” he said. “First they didn’t realize I was the punter until a couple days ago. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re the kicker?’ and I was like, ‘yeah, why?’ and he said, ‘you look like a wide receiver.’”
Foster was recruited to be mainly a punter, especially during his freshman year, but he is versatile enough to place-kick as well – something he did successfully for his high school team. He was also named his high school team’s MVP – not a bad honor at all for someone who is not a quarterback, star linebacker, etc.
At Joker Phillips’ Media Day press conference, he stressed the importance of athleticism in whichever punter Kentucky puts on the field, saying that you didn’t “have to be athletic to be a kicker, but you have to be athletic to be a punter.”
Flexibility and speed are two qualities not normally assumed when thinking about a punter or kicker, but they are two of the most significant qualities for them to have. In addition to their position work, players with this job also perform the same strength/conditioning/team drills as the rest of the players – from offensive linemen to cornerbacks.
“We work just as hard as everyone else,” Foster said. “We’re actually the first ones in the Nutter and probably the last ones out. We’ve got to take extraordinary care of our body. And everyone else, yeah they’re doing a lot of running, but we run with them, we do everything with them. But at the same time, we have to stretch a lot more, we have to focus more on technique.”
So far, Foster is making a name for himself in UK’s early practices, as he competes with Joe Mansour for the punting position. By the fourth practice, Joker was already Foster’s his praises, saying that he was the “fastest we’ve ever had” in regards to getting the ball off during a punt. With the speed of the SEC, it’s crucial that UK’s punter, whoever it may be, punts the ball as quickly as possible to avoid a block (to state the obvious).
Whether Foster ends up with punting duties or not this season, he will make his mark on the program at some point in the near future. It’s hard to ignore the kind of athleticism this guy has, and it’s likely the coaches are thinking along the same lines.
Landon Foster
By LARRY VAUGHT
Landon Foster certainly would seem to have the versatility to be a productive punter and/or kicker at Kentucky based on what he did for Independence High School in Thompson Station, Tenn. He was a first-team Class AAAAAA kicker by the Tennessee Sports Writers’ Association. He made 11 of 16 field goals as a senior with a long of 49 and averaged 41.3 yards per punt. Fifty of his 56 kickoffs went for touchbacks and four of the others were on-side kicks. He was named his team’s most valuable player and was ranked as the No. 8 kicker in the nation by Scout.com and the No. 12 kicker and the 10th best prospect in the state of Tennessee by SuperPrep.
During a recent visit to Nashville, I made the short drive over to his hometown and spent about an hour with the future UK player. He shared these insights (as well as more on videos that will be posted at vaughtsviews.com in the days ahead):
Question: What does a punter do during practice to stay busy?
Foster: “We had another kicker here who is about to start kicking for us. We would go to the game field, do some drills and play some punt golf. I am not sure what they call it at Kentucky, but you start off 20 yards and punt it and can’t drop it. All the snappers and punters play that. Ryan Tydlacka was giving me problems about being on the winning team. You just have to work on your technique. You can’t go into practice and kick 200 balls. That’s what I did my sophomore year and ended up injuring my knee. I played soccer still and it was awful. You have to just work on technique and not kick a thousand balls.”
Question: How did a punter from Tennessee decide Kentucky was right for him?
Foster: “I went to camp twice at Kentucky. My dad came up with me the second time and we talked to (former Tennessee quarterback) Tee Martin and asked him why he was coaching at Kentucky. He said the people. Without a doubt, that is it. Coach Phillips was up front the whole time. (Special teams) Coach (Greg) Nord is one of the funniest guys I know. He is random, but so funny and practices are fun. Coach Steve Pardue is my recruitng coach and knows so many people around here. He knows my geometry teacher’s husband. He knows the high school coach in Franklin who is our biggest rival. He knew tons of people around here, so that was odd. He is a great guy too. Very personable.
“Also the opportunity to come in early and maybe play. Nothing will be given to me. You have to go in, do your work during camp and earn the spot but just the opportunity is there and why not take it. The last thing is the atmosphere. I loved it up there. The campus is great. Medical is great up there. Just everything about it seemed right.”
Question: Do you know much about the success current Green Bay punter Tim Masthay had at Kentucky?
Foster: “No, not really. I had heard of him because Green Bay won a Super Bowl. It was funny right when I went up for my second camp at Kentucky and I was watching on ESPN the Packers getting their rings and think it was two days later they actually flew Tim down to work with me. He brought his ring and I got to meet him there. It is odd because Craig was the last punter to punt for the Packers when they won the Super Bowl, so I know the last two punters who have won the Super Bowl with the Packers. It was great and he’s a great guy.”
Question: What do you hope to improve on or learn more about during the summer before preseason camp starts?
Foster: “Obviously, learn my way around the campus and just get used to college. Being on your own and so forth. Football-wise, obviously get stronger and more consistent – any kicker or punter will say that. Even the pro guys. I tell everyone that says you hit a 60-yard field goal and should be in the pros. The difference is that in the pros they can hit that 99 times out of 100. In college, you hit 50 out of 100. A guy going Division I out of high school can hit it 25 out of 100. Your consistency is key. We can hit the same ball as most NFL guys and they can hit it over and over without shanking one or dropping inside. That is the biggest difference.”
Question: What about comments from Phillips and Nord that you “sound” like a punter?
Foster: “You can tell. If you hit the sweet spot, it sounds great. You can tell when people try to create the spiral by side swiping it and kicking it off the side of their foot and it doesn’t sound as solid. When you drop it right, hit it right and follow through, then it sounds like a boom. It really does. You can just tell. You can close your eyes and tell.”
Question: Is that the best compliment a coach can give a punter?
Foster: “I would say so. And being clutch. That was a huge compliment and didn’t surprise me. I remember my first camp that I went to and I didn’t even kick. We were supposed to kick and I ended up punting all day. Coach Phillips would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me and say, ‘Don’t shank this one’ and I would hit it right and he would say, ‘One more.’ It just kept going. Probably did that 10 to 15 times and he finally said, ‘Alright. You are good.’”
Question: What about academics? Do you enjoy your class work?
Foster: “I have always enjoyed school. Certain subjects I don’t enjoy, but I am a big math and science guy. I was thinking about going pre-med but after talking to Pat Simmons, a walk-on kicker who stopped this year to focus on med school, I think I am going in undecided to make sure that is what I want to do. I have to know if I want to devote most of my time to that or do I want to go a different route. I have always enjoyed academics and school. It has been a blessing here.”
Question: Can a punter think too much, especially a punter who likes math and science like you do?
Foster: “Not too much. I try not to. That is what happens with a lot of kickers. When we watch film, it is completely different from how other players watch film. We always see little things we will work. You can’t work on everything at once. You have to work on one thing and once you get that down, it is muscle memory, and then you can move on to the next thing and take it a step at a time.”
By LARRY VAUGHT
Before I went to visit with future Kentucky punter Landon Foster of Tennessee, I asked readers to submit questions they would like him to answer. Today I share those answers and more can be found at vaughtsviews.com with videos of Foster that I hope give you an even better look into his personality. He’s engaging, insightful and can’t wait to be part of the program.
Question: Are you sure about this thing coming to Kentucky?
Foster: “I am definitely ready. I am ready as ever. Every time we go to Kentucky, I like it more and more. I am ready to come in and help the team any way that I can. If he said fill up the water, I will do that. I would love to help the team change field position. Obviously Ryan (Tydlacka) was a huge part of the team. Same with Tim Masthay. I would love to be that next guy.”
Question: How do you feel about being the No. 1 punter on a team that has had Masthay and Tydlacka in recent years? Nervous or excited about the opportunity?
Foster: “I feel blessed about the opportunity. Obviously you are going to have a little bit of nerves going from high school to college, especially in the SEC. You just have to block that out and kick the ball. Same thing middle school, high school, college and the pros. You are kicking the ball. It doesn”t matter how many people you are playing in front of and what kind of team you are playing on. You are kicking the ball.”
Question: Do you worry if you would open the season and struggle that media members/fans might decide you will never be like Masthay and Tydlacka?
Foster: “You are a different guy and you are going to make a name for yourself. You can”t worry about comparisons. I am going to work my butt off. It”s nice to know at Kentucky that they have had successful punters, but it doesn”t matter. You are a different guy. It”s not like a quarterback where you come into a different system or wide receiver where you might come into the hands of a bad quarterback. You are a different guy and it is all on you. You are just punting. I like that. I like to be in control of what I do. When I play golf, ping pong or whatever, I like the game to be in my hands because if I screw up, it”s all my fault. I will know what to work on. It is a blessing and great opportunity but I would like to make a name for myself as well.”
Question: How will your punting help UK and what will you gain being part of the team?
Foster: “Kicking is a huge part of the game. They are trying to eliminate the kickoffs, which I think is absurd. I think if I do my best that will help them win a couple of games. It always does, especially in the SEC where games are decided by special teams. As for me, Kentucky is a great school and great team with great guys on it. At the spring game when we met all the games that we had not already known and they seemed like great guys that you will grow friendships with for the rest of your life. I have always heard it is not a four-year decision when you choose where you are going to college, but it is a lifetime decision. You are always going to represent that university, be part of that university and will always feel attached to it. I think I will get four great years out of it and lifetime memories.”
Question: Are you ready to be the starting punter from day one at Kentucky?
Foster: “I am trying to be. I don”t think you are ever really sure if you are ready, but you work your hardest and see what happens.”
Question: What did you think of Tanner Blaine of Illinois announcing he would come to Kentucky as a walk-on punter?
Foster: “I heard that. It is great. I love competition. It is always going to bring out the best in people and adds depth. Obviously Jay (Wilmott) and Joe (Mansour) have not been producing or whatever this spring. I think they are both great punters and great people, but if they are not producing then you have to find a guy that can help the team win. It just brings in more depth and more competition.”
Question: Can you handle the pressure, both positive and negative, of the Kentucky fans and do you play well under pressure?
Foster: “I do like the game to be in my hands. I like to think I am good under pressure. I have had three game-winning chances for field goals and I hit all three. I love pressure. I really do.
“You have to block out the media and you have to block out the fans. They are always going to be there. I am the type of guy that will know if I screwed up and will take it out on myself. I will make myself get better and not listen to guys say, ‘Why did we get this go and so forth.”"
Question: Do you think you will continue to enjoy interacting with UK fans on Twitter once you are at Kentucky?
Foster: “It will be tough with school and games. I would love to. Me and Patrick Graffree, we all love it. We love the fans. That was one of the biggest criteria when I was choosing a college was how much support the team had because I love interacting with fans. I am very personable. Around in high school, I am the big man on campus and people are scared to come up to me. I am like, ‘Just come up to me. I am a human person, too.” I love to talk to people. That is something I always want to do.”
By LARRY VAUGHT
Landon Foster certainly would seem to have the versatility to be a productive punter and/or kicker at Kentucky based on what he did for Independence High School in Thompson Station, Tenn. He was a first-team Class AAAAAA kicker by the Tennessee Sports Writers’ Association. He made 11 of 16 field goals as a senior with a long of 49 and averaged 41.3 yards per punt. Fifty of his 56 kickoffs went for touchbacks and four of the others were on-side kicks. He was named his team’s most valuable player and was ranked as the No. 8 kicker in the nation by Scout.com and the No. 12 kicker and the 10th best prospect in the state of Tennessee by SuperPrep.
During a recent visit to Nashville, I made the short drive over to his hometown and spent about an hour with the future UK player. He shared these insights (as well as more on videos that will be posted at vaughtsviews.com in the days ahead):
Question: Are you a punter? Are you a placekicker? Are you both?
Foster: “I am definitely approaching it as being a punter. Going in, I have know Craig Hentrich, punter for the Tennessee Titans, and I have always punted with him and just joking around until my freshman year and that’s when I started playing football. I kicked and punted because I played soccer and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do until this summer when I started going to camps. I got a couple of scholarship offers for kicking and couple to go punting. I remember telling my mom right after the Kentucky camp driving down to Knoxville that I wanted to punt in college. I cancelled all my trips that were looking at me to kick and just focused on punting. That’s what I want to do.
“I can kick as well and that’s what coach Phillips wants me to do — just be there in case. My junior and senior season after Joe (Mansour) leaves, I might fill in at kicker or whatever. But when he calls me, he tells me to make sure I am punting and not worrying about kicking. So punting is my main thing.”
Question: How much has your relationship with Hentrich helped you and how much has he taught you?
Foster: “He has been mentor my whole life. I met him when I was 5 years old. I didn’t think about playing football then, but he’s like an uncle to me. We have been great friends and it has helped me through the college process and obviously kicking. I learned everything I knew from him. It has been great and he’s a great person period. I always look up to him and ask him for advice.”
Question: How does a 5-year-old youngster develop a friendship with a NFL punter?
Foster: “My parents got to know him. I just got to know him through my parents.”
Question: Were there subtle ways he influenced you to become a punter?
Foster: “No. I played soccer my whole life. He actually didn’t play football until his sophomore year in high school and he always said you should try out. I was going to try out my eighth grade year but I went over to England for 12 days and our middle school coach if you missed two practices, you were not allowed to be on the team and I didn’t play.”
Question: Did playing soccer help you with your punting/kicking?
Foster: “People say that, but it completely different. When you punt a soccer ball, you punt from the side. Punting in football everything has to be precise and right down the middle and in a straight line. Craig says I am a natural punter, which is weird. In soccer I was a goalie and punted, too. It is completely opposite and why I quit soccer after my sophomore year to focus on football. Going back and forth was hard and even kicking a soccer ball is different from kicking a football. You had to keep changing your form back and forth and that got tough.”
Question: Were you strictly a kicker/punter in football or did you play another position as well?
Foster: “My freshman year I played outside linebacker and wide receiver. This year right before our camp durin the summer the coaches saw me throw a few balls and tried to get me to play quarterback. I knew I couldn’t learn the playbook in two weeks, so I decided not to do that.”
Question: Did you play other sports growing up?
Foster: “I messed around. I played basketball one or two years. Played baseball a year. Soccer was always my life and I ended up succeeding in that. Then it was time for a new challenge, so I started football. Got successful in that, too.”
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