Rockstar kicker gives Gators fans reason to break out their No. 15 jerseys
By Andrew Olson
Published:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The man wearing jersey No. 15 is bringing excitement to Florida football this fall.
No, not Tim Tebow, it’s rockstar kicker Eddy Pineiro.
The former soccer player is a football newcomer, but he’s already a social media superstar and campus celebrity. He’s only kicked in one game (if you can even count Florida’s spring game), but he made quite the impression.
Eddy Piniero made his first PAT of the night. The fans inside the swamp cheered louder for the extra point than they did the touchdown
— Josh LaSelva (@JoshLaSelva) April 8, 2016
“I didn’t think people were going to scream out my name after an extra point, so that was pretty interesting,” Pineiro said.
When he got a chance to look up in the stands, he liked what he saw.
“I walk into the spring game and everybody has 15 (jerseys), but it’s not for me, it’s for Tebow. It’s pretty exciting,” Pineiro said.
After suffering through a season which the Gators were 7-for-17 on field goals, Florida fans are excited to have a kicker with a big leg. Pineiro hit field goals from 56, 52 and 46 yards in the spring game as part of 3-for-5 with all kicks coming from 46-plus yards out.
Florida frosh K Eddy Pineiro hits 52-yarder. The crowd goes wild as if Holyfield has just won the fight. Many kicking misadventures in 15.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) April 8, 2016
Last year’s struggles played a part in getting the Miami kicker to Gainesville.
“Seeing them go through those kicking struggles last year was pretty depressing, because Florida’s always been known for having good kickers like Caleb Sturgis and Judd Davis,” Pineiro said. “But I was very aware of it. That was part of my recruiting process.”
Sturgis, who holds the school record for making 70 field goals in his 2008-12 career, has gone to great lengths to mentor the newcomer.
“He saw I was getting recruited here,” Pineiro said. “I started practicing here, he showed up one day in practice in the indoor facility.
“That’s pretty much where I met him, and I got his number and we started talking and he says that I have a bright future here and just keep on doing what I’m doing, stay focused and stuff. So that’s how I created a relationship with him, and then he started flying in from Philadelphia just to train with me here in the indoor (practice facility).”
Pineiro said Sturgis has stressed the mental aspect of kicking in their sessions and conversations.
“You can’t be weak-minded,” Pineiro said. “If you miss a kick, you move on. If you miss another one, you move on. It’s about how you make the next kick after you miss one.”
Preparing Pineiro mentally has also been on the coaches’ minds this offseason. Jim McElwain recently asked the kicker’s teammates to surround him in practice and try to distract him during his field goal attempts.
“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 said.
The results have been encouraging.
“So far I’m like 4-for-4 on those, whatever you want to call them, pressure kicks. So he’s happy about that,” Pineiro said.
The real test will come when Pineiro has to kick in hostile environments, like Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium on Sept. 24, but for now, it seems safe for Gators fans to dig into their closets and find those No. 15 jerseys.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
