In recruiting war rooms at football offices across the nation, there are boards with numerous list. Depending on the system, the list may be best players in state, broken down by position, need, who has committed, who has been offered, and on and on. Maybe in the corner of the room, on a corner of one of the boards, there is a list of kickers. Often coaches of college programs hold out, make their offers to other positions and then, if a scholarship is still available offer to a kicker. In Colorado prep football, Denver East kicker Zach Grossnickle is trying to be proactive in his recruitment, spending much of this spring visiting his schools of interest. For Grossnickle this in no fool’s quest, he has the leg and talent to potentially catch on at a college in need of a kicker.
The 6-3 180 pound Grossnickle, an All-Conference caliber soccer player, scored 38 points this past season for his 8-3 Denver East squad, this included a 52 yarder. Maybe more important than his field goals were his 21 touchbacks on the year. Armed with this skill set Grossnickle and family loaded up on the frequent flyer miles and visited numerous campuses throughout April. In mid April, Zach visited Northwestern and was able to meet with the coaching staff. Zach hopes to return this summer and participate in Northwestern’s July camp. Zach followed his trip to Northwestern with a visit to the Notre Dame spring game. At a lunch for recruits, Zach and family were able to sit with the Mike Golic and clan, the ultimate Notre Dame insiders.
Currently, Grossnickle has suspended his travels but hopes to kick them back into high gear later this month, as he will attend a Chris Sailer kicking camp as well as attending camps at Stanford and Cal in June. Grossnickle’s interest in Northwestern, Notre Dame, Cal and Stanford, all schools that have high academic standards, fit well with his current 4.2 GPA. As a kicker, an early offer may not come, but with continued travel and a strong senior season, Grossnickle’s name may move up from the corner of the board.