Weirdly enough, a huge part of Miami‘s NCAA transfer portal class this offseason was adding two kickers. Head coach Mario Cristobal grabbed Bert Auburn from Texas and FAU‘s Carter Davis, having them compete for the starting role. An underrated battle for the Hurricanes at this stage of preseason camp.
On Thursday, Cristobal provided an update on where the competition stands. Not much appears to separate Auburn and Davis, with Cristobal describing it as “tight.” More than just being able to make field goals will be factored in, as there is still time to make an impression before the season opener.
“It’s tight,” Cristobal said. “It’s tight. Strong legs, experience. Obviously, our snapper and holder, we think really highly of those guys. So, they’ve been instrumental in helping these guys get better at kicking. And today, we also kicked off, which is a huge part of winning the job as well. Who can kick it out of the end zone, if possible, on every opportunity. But it’s tight, it’s tight. We’re going to put them in every pressure situation as best we can. We’ll figure it out before Week 1.”
Miami does have a tough opening game, going up against Notre Dame. You never know when special teams is going to play a major role, especially when facing that kind of opponent. Cristobal will need to make sure whoever is lining up on field goals, or even PATs, is ready to drill a few through the uprights.
Auburn was one of the better kickers in college football during the 2023 season, making over 80% of his attempts. However, some struggles came upon him this past year. Only 16 of his 25 kicks were good, lowering his success rate all the way down to 64%. You have to imagine Auburn is hoping for a major bounce-back year.
The numbers for Davis are not any better, if not worse. Seven attempts saw just two made during his final season in Boca Raton with FAU. Similar to Auburn, a little more consistency was there during the 2023 season but at a much smaller clip. Davis only got out there for two attempts, making one.
Cristobal will be looking for someone who is able to excel in kick-off duty as well. Auburn and Davis will continue to compete with one another, hoping to win a spot in Coral Gables after transferring into the program.
