USC Recruiting: Trojans Find a Much Needed Kicker in Andre Heidari
With the Trojans needing to find a long-term kicking replacement for whoever they give the job to this year, special teams coach John Baxter has made place kicking a priority in terms of recruiting for next year’s incoming class.
Now coach Baxter’s efforts have paid off.
Andre Heidari, from Stockdale high school in Bakersfield, Ca., gave his verbal pledge to the Trojans on Saturday and with it USC’s kicking saga has come full circle.
Last year, Matt Darr, the highly regarded punter/place kicker from, yes, Bakersfield, Ca., had given his verbal pledge to the Trojans only to change his mind and sign with Fresno State, whose coach, John Baxter (yes, that John Baxter) had been amongst the most highly regarded special teams coaches in the nation.
A few weeks later, Baxter accepted Trojan coach Lane Kiffin’s offer to come to USC and heal what had been long time sore spot in the shoddy special teams play.
Trojan fans chuckled at the irony of it all, first having Darr jilt the Trojans only to have the coach young Matt wanted to play for leave him at the alter by coming south to USC.
Now a strong-legged kicker from the same area has given his verbal promise to restore what had recently been a suspect kicking game into a strong point a la the David Buehler era.
And why did Heidari decide to ply his trade for the Trojans?
It was because he wanted to kick for John Baxter.
Andre Heidari is a 5’11″, 185 lb. kicker who is known for a strong leg.
As reported by Scout.com, Heidari, much like Buehler, has been known to carry a prodigious touchback ratio on kickoffs.
How does a 92 percent touchback rate as a junior in 2009 grab you?
Although scholarships are at a premium for USC now that the NCAA has stripped an average of 10 per year from the Trojans as punishment for the Reggie Bush fiasco, coaches Kiffin and Baxter apparently had no reservations about offering Heidari one.
He readily accepted.
It should also be pointed out, as stated in the Orange County Register, that if Heidari enrolls early in January, he won’t count against the limited scholarships available for distribution in 2011.
Unless this is a redo of the Darr episode, the Trojans should be in pretty good shape in the placekicking department starting in 2011.
And Matt Darr can go on kicking himself (pun intended) for the fate he resigned himself to when he spurned the Trojans for a coach that is no longer there.
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Comment by Scott on 7 July 2010:
Obviously place-kicker is an important aspect of the game. But if you’re short scholarships and need to be more selective of to whom the scholarships are given, I think I’d be more worried about the offensive players trying to score 6-points than the kicker trying to score one. Aren’t touchDOWNS more important than touchBACKS?
It seems me that there are probably 20 kids in the LA area along who would be honored to walk on at USC and could kick 95% or better on PAT’s and reasonable percentages out to 40-yards or so. And if this coach is so good, can’t he take one of those mid-upper level walk-ons and make him better anyway?
Seems like a waste.
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