New transfer expected to give LU a kick of talent

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: July 31, 2008

Paul Young finished his sophomore season at New Mexico State on a roll. He converted 25 of his last 26 extra-point attempts and seven of his last eight field-goal tries. Young went toe-to-toe with Kyle Hughes during spring practice and seemingly was poised to remain the Aggies’ top kicker.

But there was one problem. Hughes was on scholarship. Young was not. Young filled in admirably once Hughes was ruled academically ineligible prior to the start of the 2007 season, hitting a game-winning field goal against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and drilling a 41 yarder against Hawaii. But he would have never gotten the opportunity to kick at NMSU if Hughes’ grades had been in order.

Hughes regained the starting job by the end of the spring, leaving Young with a choice: Stay and languish on the bench, or look for a new place to play?

Young chose the latter, returning home to Virginia in search of a new school. Young played prep football at Forest Park in Woodbridge before heading first to Fork Union, then to Hudson Valley Community College in New York, then to NMSU. Young’s brother is a student at Liberty, so Young knew about the school. And once he heard LU’s sales pitch, he was hooked.

“I looked at JMU and a couple of other schools, and I just liked what coach (Danny) Rocco was telling me,” Young said after Liberty’s opening practice Thursday. “The program is growing. Most of the other programs I was looking at, they were kind of leveling off. Coming here gives me the best chance to get a ring.

“And (LU) averaged like 40 points a game last year. That means a lot of kicking.”

It didn’t hurt that Liberty had an opening at the spot. With all-Big South kicker Noah Greenbaum gone, Liberty went through spring drills with several walk-ons vying for time at place kicker. Young enrolled at Liberty in time for the school’s final summer session and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Freshman Matt Bevins was recruited as a place kicker, but he also holds value as a punter.

Rocco wants to split the kicking duties — field goals, extra points, punts and kickoffs — among several players.

“We were on the market to find somebody to help ourselves, and (Young) will help us for sure,” Rocco said.

As a freshman at Hudson, Young kicked a school-record 48-yard field goal. He said he feels comfortable kicking from 50 yards and in. He will compete for time at kicker with Bevins, Mike Larsson and David Drake.

Hicks out

Starting cornerback Kent Hicks didn’t dress for Thursday’s practice.

“We’re waiting on some academics,” Rocco said. “He’s in the middle of a few distance learning classes. When that’s cleared up, we’ll move forward.”

Rocco said the issues should be cleared up within three to five days. Hicks missed one game last season due to academic troubles.

On the radar

Rocco is looking for several redshirt freshmen to make an impact during their first year on the field. Some to watch include:

w A-back B.J. Hayes: He is getting more reps at wide receiver than running back. At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, he’s quick and athletic and has excellent hands.

w Quarterback Michael Brown: He’s splitting second-team reps with incumbent backup Spencer Landis, and his dual-threat ability tantalizes the coaching staff. “Even despite the fact that he’s sitting behind Brock (Smith), I still think he has a chance to get some plays and be dynamic,” Rocco said.

w Offensive lineman Spencer Hodges, one of the top players in the 2007 recruiting class, will definitely be in the reserve rotation behind the starting five, and he may even have a chance to crack the starting lineup at some point this season.

w At 6-foot-4, wideout Chris Summers has the ability to stretch the field with his speed and battle defensive backs one-on-one in short-yardage situations. He’ll vie for time at No. 3 receiver.

w Linebacker Mike Connolly is a “guy I can see playing a lot and playing early. He’s just really talented.”

Extra points

WR Jonathan Crawford (hamstring), LB Derek Lisko (groin), DB Brandon Saunders (hamstring) and RB Terry Williams (neck) all missed practice time Thursday. All of the injuries are considered minor. … The team will practice today from 6:45-9 p.m. The Flames will practice from 2:20-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. All practices are held at Williams Stadium and are open to the public.