Cameron Van Winkle, Kicker
Height: 5-11
Weight: 165
Rankings: 5 Scout 3* / 8 Rivals 3* / 9 (247) 3*
Offer sheet: Washington State
Kickers, especially college kickers, are the great unknown. You can think you've got a great one, and watch him miss the ones that count, or a guy who shanks a PAT will nail a game winner. So it's hard to know exactly what kind of kicker Van Winkle will turn into. He was consistent in high school and made some clutch kicks as well, but in high school they do their placekicking off of tees. In college they don't get that luxury. When you have a kicker this highly rated in your backyard, you need to get him on campus though, and see what he turns into. He's very highly spoken of by the kicking gurus out there, so there's reason to be optimistic.
Van Winkle joins a crowded kicking crew, becoming the 3rd scholarship specialist on the roster. In an ideal world he'd redshirt and take over for Travis Coons after he graduates, but if he's the best kicker on the roster then he'll be doing the kicking. It's not a position where you mess around or play favorites with older guys, because the wrong choice will cost you games.
Here he is knocking in some kicks and kickoffs