FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' Scott Fountain has a task at hand of replacing Cam Little, one of the best kickers in the history of the Razorbacks.
Fountain, the special team's coordinator, has three candidates trying for the job. The trio are Vito Calvaruso, Abilene Christian transfer Kyle Ramsey and Hawaii transfer Matthew Shipley. Fountain was asked following Friday's third practice how the battle is shaping up?
"Vito Calvaruso is in that as well, and those three are the three," Fountain said. "I really like Shipley and Vito had a good spring, it’s just when we got in the stadium. We try to grade them three ways. One is when nobody is around, just called charting. Nobody but me, just me yelling at them a little bit and then we have live. With live, we have a rush and then we have scrimmages. They were pretty dang good in live and just charting with nobody watching, but in the stadium is what concerned. They were 50% in the spring.
"So, Ramsey, really excited about him. He played at Abilene Christian, was at Houston for four years. Great kid, already graduated with an engineering degree. Had a good summer. They’ve all had good a good summer, and we’re really just getting into camp. It was our first day to kick our live field goals and they were shorter field goals and those guys all their field goals, which is expected in that situation. But, really glad to have Ramsey and Shipley and Vito. I think it’s going to be a great competition and we’ll see how it plays out over the next two week."
At Hawaii last season, Shipley was14 of 18 with a long of 51. He made 30 of 31 point afters. In 11 games last season, Ramsey made 14 of 15 field goals and 33 point after touchdowns. Fountain was asked if he ever had two field goal kickers who made 14 last season?
"Yeah, that’s the beauty of the portal I guess you’d say," Fountain said. "But, the thing I’ll say about both of those guys because they’re new here, is Ramsey — I think it was 15-16, something along those lines, he had four over 50 (yards). That’s really a heck of a season. But Shipley, he didn’t have the best holder out at Hawaii last year. He never told me, I’m just watching tape you know. But man made a lot of field goals and hit a game winner. He did one of those run out and kick at the last second, it was a huge field goal in the game. But he had had a kick blocked earlier in the game, so I think we got some good players and we’ll see who kind of rides up to the top. But, happy with all of them right now."
Shipley was signed in December with the idea he would be Little's replacement, but he struggled in the spring. That allowed Ramsey to enter the picture. Fountain was asked how Shipley has handled the competition?
"Really well, I’ll tell you Matthew is a phenomenal kid," Fountain said. "He’s a twin. Just very well-centered, comes from a great home and to be honest with you, he’s never said one word about it. Just has to work and do better. That was the one thing I was attracted to with him was his personality."
Fountain explained the instances where Shipley and Calvaruso were only hitting 50% of the field goals in the stadium.
"We have two scrimmages in the spring, the Red-White Game and then we have a scrimmage two weeks in," Fountain said.
He and Sam Pittman both said they kicked well on the practice fields. Any reason they struggled in Razorback Stadium?
"Well, possibly the first scrimmage was the first time in the stadium," Fountain said. "You know, kicking, that's all I can relate it to. The second time, the spring game, it was really windy. And I never make excuses. It's what we talk about. That's an imposter. We block imposters out. Don't don't pay any attention to them, right? But obviously you’ve got to play around that, and I think in the spring game they were both trying to overcorrect the wind too much is what I felt. But at the end of the day, you’ve just got to make those field goals. You know, we want to be 80% on the year. That's what we want to be every year. You know, you can be a 78% guy and a 73% guy, but if you hit 80% of your field goals, I mean, you're going to have some special seasons, I think."
Pittman stated recently he expects Fountain to name a kicker within a couple of weeks. Is that enough time?
"Yes," Fountain said. "You know, the tough part now — and I think the kids like this, but they don't — over the next first three days, everybody's got a different snapper and a different holder. Everybody, because we’ve got three apiece, right? And we're going to do it again the next three days. And then we're going to see how that plays out, and then we'll go to the scrimmage. So, that's the tough part right now, but if a guy can continue to make it with a different holder and snapper, it makes you feel better about him. We're going through that process. As we get closer and it kind of starts showing its face then we'll start narrowing it down to those guys. But we're giving them every opportunity to be the guy for the next two weeks."
Fountain had an interesting response when asked if anything has changed with the kickers this fall?
"You probably won't believe me on this," Fountain said. "I'm telling you, when Cam was here, we made him compete every year for the job. It was not his, and he knew he had to win it in camp. I know that sounds crazy, but that's how we do it. But with this new crop of guys, I definitely going to spend more time in the stadium because y'all asked about the spring game.
"I felt like this spring, we didn't get enough time in the stadium. And it's a little different on the far end with it, with the wind, the way it plays out. So, we're trying to get over here more because I want those guys comfortable in the stadium. So, that's the only thing that's a little different. The competing is the same. We just take a little more time in our stadium."
Fountain and Pittman have both talked about two kickers with one handling placements and the other kicking off. Fountain was asked his preference?
"When I was at Auburn, Daniel Carlson did both," Fountain said. "When I was at Georgia, Rodrigo did both. Rodrigo Blankenship. When I came here and I knew we had to have one, we're going to have to cover some really good teams. So that's where I found Vito Calvarusso. He had a big leg in high school. When I worked him out, he wasn't very good, but he showed up and it's been really good for us.
"But we've been blessed. I've been blessed at Georgia, blessed here. We've had phenomenal kickoff guys, and when you don't have one it can get you, if you're playing a really good returner. So, I'm not necessarily in favor of splitting them. I'm fine with one guy doing it. I just want the best guy to do it. And I've always done it. You got to win it in. You got to win it these two weeks right here.
"And [Cam Little] could've never been a kickoff guy as a freshman. He just wasn't there. His strength wasn't there. And last year, he had a great year. And he told me he got a lot stronger in the weight room and been developed, and he said, 'Coach, I'm going to win this job.' And he did."
Calvaruso was outstanding kicking off for Arkansas before opting to transfer to Wisconsin. But Fountain isn't giving him the job this year without a battle.
"Well, they’re competing again," Fountain said. "Obviously, he started here for two years. I don’t know if y’all remember this, his second year here he led the nation in touchbacks, around 91% on the year. He has a great leg and he’s also competing for the field goal job as well, which is important to him. I think we’ve got several guys that are good kickoff guys, it’s a good competition but Vito’s done it on the field and been very successful doing it."
Arkansas will practice at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night with no media access afterward. The Hogs open the season on Thursday, Aug. 29, in Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium at 6:30 p.m. and televised on ESPNU.
Photos Courtesy of Craven Whitlow CW3 Sports Action
