Kenny Dillingham calls for kicking tryouts

TEMPE, Ariz. – “Our kicking game is atrocious,  so if you can kick and you’re at Arizona State email me. We are going to have kicking tryouts on Monday.”

Head coach Kenny Dillingham said this after Arizona State’s loss at Cincinnati Saturday morning.

ASU’s kicking game has been an issue this season, plain and simple.

During Saturday’s loss at Cincinnati, redshirt sophomore kicker Ian Hershey missed two field goals.

Not only did Hershey miss two field goals but neither of them came relatively close to going through the uprights.

This is not the first time this season it has been an issue.

How did ASU get here?

During spring practice, Hershey and redshirt freshman kicker Carston Kieffer took kicks each and every day from around 40 yards out.

Throughout camp, Hershey was up and down from that distance but had the bigger leg.

While he had the bigger leg, that did not mean he was always as accurate as Kieffer.

Hershey eventually got the job as the starting kicker after sitting out last season.

Hershey so far this season

So far, Hershey is 7-10 with a long of 47 yards.

This is not the first time that Hershey has struggled in the kicking game in his career.

In 2022, Hershey was at Idaho State where he finished the campaign going 7-11 on field goals and 16-18 on extra points. Keep in mind that Idaho State plays in an indoor stadium.

Overall, the entire 2024 season has not been bad, but recently is where some red flags have risen.

Against Kansas. Hershey had a field goal blocked in the first half of the game. This week, Hershey missed the two kicks referenced and struggled to routinely even make two extra points.

While Hershey is 7-10, Sun Devil fans are on the edge of their seats each and every time Hershey lines up to kick a field goal or extra point.

Now, Dillingham is opening it up to anyone interested, who can kick and is at ASU, to compete for the Sun Devils’ starting kicker position.

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