Florida's Eddy Pineiro confident about kicking in first game
Among the various storylines at Florida heading into the 2016 season is the kicking game. The performance in that area was noticeably lacking, and the Gators have taken steps to prevent a repeat this year.
As a remedy, Florida coach Jim McElwain personally recruited YouTube star Eddy Pineiro. The kicker has made field goals from more than 70 yards out, but there is one problem: He’s never kicked a field goal in a live game.
Florida’s spring game was the first time Pineiro kicked while fans were seated in the stands and a football game was being played. Although he has a very strong leg, it remains to be seen how he will perform in pressure situations. To remedy that, the coaching staff is doing everything they can to prepare their young kicker.
“Lately he’s been putting the whole team around me while I’m kicking my field goal, just screaming in my ear, throwing water in my face, trying to get me off-balance and stuff,” Pineiro told 247Sports in regards to McElwain’s practice methods.
While the coaching staff tries to throw him off-balance, Pineiro remains confident in his ability to hit kicks when it matters most. He believes it all comes down to muscle memory.
“If you work on the same thing every single day, why can’t you do it in a game?” he told 247Sports. “It’s called muscle memory when it comes to kicking. You should be able to put a blindfold on and kick it because it’s the same kick every single time. It’s muscle memory.”
Pineiro may get his first chance when Florida plays UMass on Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET.