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justwin
01-16-2017, 12:46 PM
about Tucker Day? One of the two more informative croot articles I've read

http://www.recruitingnewsguru.com/2017-tennessee-kicker-tucker-day-living-up-to-preseason-5-star-hype/

http://www.recruitingnewsguru.com/5-star-tennessee-punterkicker-tucker-day-working-to-be-tops-in-the-nation/

pasted both below



2017 Tennessee Kicker/Punter Tucker Day Living up to Preseason 5-Star Hype

Written by Ryan Wright

9/28/16

Twitter: @HogManInLA

One can never under value the importance of a strong kicking game at any level on the gridiron. Brentwood High School in the Nashville area has the rare treat of having a five-star field goal kicker and punter all rolled into one with Tucker Day.

Day got his ranking showing what he could do on the field against Tennessee competition and on the Chris Sailer camp circuit. The 6-2, 197 pound, talent notched punt champion at seemingly every camp he attended and slowly turned his punting leg into an offensive weapon as a five-star field goal kicker. The transition was complete when Day made a spot in Sailer?s famed ?Top 12? over the summer.

The push forward to elite status as a 2017 recruit showed during the 2015 season when Day averaged 44.5 yards per punt earning first team All-State honors. He killed it on kickoffs getting 26 of 28 kicks touched back and hit 14 of 20 field goals that included connections from 52, 51, 50, and 49 yards.

The 2016 season has picked up where Day left off, terrorizing the opposition. So far he has hit 7 of 9 field goal attempts with a long of 47 and has put 24 of 25 kickoffs into the end zone, or through the back of it. His punting has been sharp. The average is misleading at 39.5 yards per attempt with most of his attempts coming on a short field. What is impressive is his directional kicking and pinning teams down inside the 20-yard line seven times. Just for good measure on the canon for a leg, his longest punt this year was a 70-yarder from the line of scrimmage, 84-yards from the spot of the punt.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Day minutes after he received another Division-I scholarship offer, this one from San Diego State, to get an update on his season so far and where his recruitment is heading as we get deeper into the 2016 season.

Interview

Tucker, are you happy with your personal performance on the field so far this year?

?Yeah, for the most part. I?ve had a solid year so far with some big punts for my team. I made some clutch field goals that gave us momentum for the rest of our games. I have responded to adversity well this year. I?m pretty happy with how I am doing. I?m at a good point and will keep getting better and better as the season goes on.?

What are some of the parts of your game you are working to improve?

?I?m really trying to get better on directional punting. In Tennessee high school football, we go against a lot of great return men. There are a lot of great athletes within the state. I?ve been working on hitting my punts around the 15 to the left and right. Once I get that down, my punting will be even more effective on the field.?

What has been the biggest challenge for you so far this year?

?I?d say with punting, adjusting to a two-step punt. Some of the biggest punts I have had this year have come off a two-step punt. I had a 70-yard punt from scrimmage that pinned a team down inside the 5. With the new two-step punt, I have to me a lot cleaner with my form. If I mess up it will shank the punt. A two-step punt is a lot quicker and better for the college game.?

Tucker Day FG 2015

What distances have you hit from this year with your field goals?

?My long is 47-yards. I have several in the 40?s, a 45, 43, 42 and I?ve had a 39, 36, and a 28.?

Are there any games coming up on the schedule you are excited to play a little more than the others?

?Yeah. Every game is really important, but we have a big rival game against Centennial coming up (Oct. 14). I?ve not beaten them since I have been at Brentwood. Hopefully we will come out on top this time.?

Let?s transition into recruiting. Which schools do you have offers from right now?

?I have offers from Army, Navy, and Colorado State. I just got off the phone with San Diego State and they offered me.?

Congratulations.

?Thank you.?

Which schools are showing recruiting interest in you right now but have not offered you yet?

?I have been heavily talking to Mississippi State. I?ve also been talking to Tennessee, Clemson, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, and Penn State.?

Have you taken any unofficial or official visits yet?

?This year I have taken unofficial visits to Mississippi State and Tennessee. Last year I went to Clemson and UNC (North Carolina).?

How did your visit to Mississippi State go?

?It was great. They treated us well. I sat with the coaches and talked to Coach (Dan) Mullen (head coach). They said they want me there. They feel like I could make a difference at Mississippi State. Their punter this season is a senior.?

tucker-day-at-tennessee-2016

What about your visit to Tennessee, how did that go?

?Coach (Butch) Jones and Coach (Larry) Scott (special teams coach), they made me feel at home. It was great being there at the big Tennessee school. I visited for their game against Ohio (Sept. 17). The coaches were really cool. The players had a lot of swag and they had great food. The game was awesome too. That was the biggest game I have been to, and that was not even a big rivalry game.?

Remind me, what is your GPA?

?My GPA unweighted is 3.2 and 3.65 weighted.?

What did you get on your ACT?

?I got a 29.?

Are there any college football games you are excited to watch this weekend?

?There are but I am going to a church retreat this weekend. We are not allowed any technology for the weekend. The games coming up I am excited to see are the Alabama verse Tennessee, Mississippi State against Ole Miss, and Ohio State against Penn State games. I want to try to make it to all of those games.?

Tucker, thanks for your time today and good luck with the rest of our season.

?Thank you.?



Interview: 5-Star Tennessee 2017 Punter/Kicker Tucker Day Working to be Tops in the Nation

April 20, 2016


Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

When it comes to being a 5-star talent in the kicking game, a player either has it or he doesn?t. Brentwood High School Class of 2017 punter/kicker Tucker Day definitely has ?it.?

Day used his 6?2?, 197 pound, frame to get the Bruins out of trouble on offense consistently pinning the opposition down inside the 20-yard line and aided the team overall by nailing 50-yard field goals putting points up on the board. When the 2015 season had concluded, Day was named a Tennessee first team All-State punter after averaging 44.5 yards per kick getting off each kick somewhere between 1.3 to 1.4 seconds; which is a really strong time at the high school level.

All-State honors eluded Day as a field goal kicker although a case could be made. Day nailed 14 attempts that included three points from 49, 50, 51, and 52 yards out. Further showcasing a canon for a leg, he hit 26 of 28 kickoffs for touchbacks sailing nearly every single attempt through the uprights and/or out of the back of the end zone.

Day has taken on a different challenge going up against the best of the best in Chris Sailer Kicking Camps around the country. Sailer named Day a member of his Top 12 with various camp honors that includes 2015 Underclassmen Invitational Punt Champion, 2015 GA Fall Camp Punt Champion, 2016 Vegas XXVII Head to Head Punt Champion, 2016 Vegas XXVII Consistency Competition Champion, 2016 Vegas XXVII Punt Finalist, and 2016 GA Spring Camp Punt Champion.

Sailer has a difficult task on his hands with a lot of great Class of 2017 punters and kickers appearing at all of his camps. Hawaii?s Adam Stack is one of the best combination kickers in the nation as is Day. Currently Stack is ranked the No. 1 kicker and punter in the 2017 class. Day was the No. 1 punter, now No. 2, but seeks to get that title back in the offseason through various one-day college camps and Chris Sailer Kicking Camps.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with the kicking wonder to find out how his junior season went with Brentwood High School, learned about his offseason camp schedule, and received a recruiting news update.

Interview

Tucker, how did you get started playing football?

?My brother was a kicker for our middle school in 8th grade. I?ve always had a stronger leg than most of the kids in our school. My dad said go out and kick. Before that I played soccer and ice hockey. I was offered the starting job on the spot by our middle school coach. I started playing my 8th grade year and I enjoyed.?

What was your first year of varsity experience like?

?It was fun. We did not have a great team in the win-loss department but I really enjoyed it. The crowds are big and loud and they really get into it. It?s like no other experience. My first punt at the varsity level, I hit a 68-yarder without a bounce.?

That?s impressive. You really started coming into your own during your junior season. If you will, give me a rundown of how the 2015 season went.

?That was my first year on a successful winning football team (6-5). I came in as a starter, but a lot of stuff came into it. I was the No. 1 punter in the nation for Chris Sailer. Everyone was excited about that. My first game I hit some great punts. I had a great year stats wise. I hit all but two kicks through the end zone on kickoffs. I was really happy with my season. I was All-State and All-District as a punter and I put a bunch of field goals on the board.?

You?ve been on the field in some capacity punting, doing kickoffs, and field goals since your sophomore season. What are your strengths on the field as a punter?

?I don?t get nervous at all. My parents were actors, I have those genes. When they have a big star player on the other side coming to get me, that does not affect me. When I am on the field, the better the competition the better I play. Against Ravenwood (Brentwood ? 15-1, state champs), that was my best game of the whole season. I pinned them in the 10- three times and twice inside the five. I was 2 for 2 on field goals, and I hit three out of four through the upright on kickoffs.?

From a technical standpoint, what are some of the things you do with your form that makes you such a consistent punter?

?I?m consistent on my drop, that?s pretty much the whole game. If you have a bad drop you can?t get a good kick. I drop every day. My speed from snap to kick is 1.3 to 1.4, for high school that is fast. With that speed you cannot get blocked by our opponent. With my leg swing, I do a dry run on the sidelines, a dry run is when you swing your leg into form. I do that before every punt. That gives me my swing. It works out every time.?

Tucker Day FG 2015

I know a lot of the success a punter can have is due to his snapper. Will your snapper be back next season?

?Yes. Chandler Moody is a very good snapper. Chandler and I have a great relationship. He puts it where I want it, he?s excellent.?

Chris Sailer has you ranked as a 4.5-star field goal kicker. What are some of the things that you do well as a field goal kicker to have earned that high of a ranking?

?All field goal kickers that are good are consistent from 35 yard to 45 yards. The great ones can hit them from 55. I have proven I can hit over 50. I have hit from 52, 51, and 50 yards in a game. In practice I hit a 70-yard kick in front of my coach. I wish I would have filmed that kick. Not all kids have that raw power to drive the ball high and far. I?d say it?s a God given gift. That is what distinguishes me as a punter and kicker from the others.?

What are your goals for the 2016 football season?

?No one ever wants to miss a field goal. I think with great effort I can master all of my abilities to push myself to be ready for the Division-I level. I want to be at my greatest ability to start as a freshman in college. I want to find a home with great academics and great football. I want to win state. I think we will have a really good team this year. I love to win, and I think we have a great shot at winning state.?

Tucker Day punting

Have you received any offers from Division-I teams yet?

?A guy from Navy came to our school today to talk to me. I have a tentative offer from them based on how everything lines up with my academics. It should all line up fine. I have great academics but nothing is written on paper yet.?

Which schools are showing interest in you right now that could one day turn into an offer?

?Florida, Miami, Alabama, and Mississippi State. I was on the phone with Mississippi State and they were talking about how I am a special performer and that I can get a full-ride if I perform well at one of their camps.?

Are any other teams showing interest?

?Yeah. Clemson said I was the No. 1 punter in their board. UNC (North Carolina), Western Kentucky, Wisconsin, Toledo, and JSU (Jacksonville State) have pretty much all said if I come to their camp and perform well I could get an offer. They are all saying the same thing. They want to see if you?re the guy. I think I am that guy.?

The next question that begs to be asked, where all are you going for one-day college camps this summer?

(Laughs) ?I?m going on a bunch. I?m going to Florida this summer in June. I?m going to Alabama, Miami, Georgia, Wisconsin, UNC, and Texas A&M but I?m not 100 percent sure on A&M. Mostly all of the schools that have been talking to me I?ll go to a camp there.?

Have you been on any unofficial visits so far?

?Yes. I?ve been to Clemson a few times, Florida, UNC a few times, and Vanderbilt.?

From the sounds of it, once you make the rounds this summer you could have a lot of offers on the table. If all of these offers come through, when will you verbally commit to a school?

?It all depends on who is offering and who is offering a full-ride. If it is a walk-on offer I will not commit. If a top school in the SEC, ACC, Pac-12, Big Ten, or Big 12 offers I would take it. Schools like that offer a lot of players. The school I have the best relationship with, I will take it. If I commit I will not have to worry about another kid taking that offer.?

What are the main things that will influence that decision? You just mentioned a full-ride offer and best relationship with the coaches. Is there anything else?

?My goal is to make it to the NFL. If that does not work out I want to be at a school with a great alumni program with great academics. I?m looking at real-estate. I?m also really good at science and mathematics. Schools with a nuclear engineering or nuclear physics programs is something I have been looking into as well. I?m looking for a great school and a great alumni program. I want to be helped out after my college career if needed to help provide for me when I am older.?

Along the lines of academics, how is everything going in the classroom for you?

?I have a 3.5 unweighted GPA and I scored a 29 on my ACT.?

Excellent. That qualifies you for any school you may want to attend.

?Yes.?

Are you playing any other sports when you are not on the football field?

?I play ice hockey and soccer.?

That?s interesting. Which of the two sports are you better at soccer or hockey?

?That?s a tough question. I?ve been playing AAA hockey since I was 10 years old. I thought I might go for hockey at one point. With soccer, most soccer players are fast and small, but I?m tall and fast. I love both. Right now I?d say I?m better ? I don?t know.?

Tucker, thanks for your time today and good luck with all the upcoming one-day college camps.

?Thank you.?

tireddawg
01-16-2017, 01:05 PM
Good find. Sounds like he's got 1 hell of a leg