Arizona State football coach is holding open tryouts for new kicker
Kenny Dillingham was blunt in his assessment of Arizona State's kicking game after Sun Devils' kicker Ian Hershey badly missed two field goals in a 24-14 loss to Cincinnati.
"Our kicking game's atrocious," Dillingham said in his postgame press conference. "If you can kick and you're at Arizona State, email me. We're going to have kicking tryouts on Monday. So, bring it on. Kicking tryouts Monday, let's go.
When asked by a reporter if he was serious, Dillingham doubled down.
"Yeah, I'm dead serious. We're going to put it out on our social. We're going to have a kicking tryout on Monday. We've gotta find somebody who can make a field goal."
Arizona State had a chance to cut Cincinnati's lead to 24-17 with 5:58 left in the game, but Hershey shanked a 48-yard field goal. He later missed a 41-yard field goal. He made both of his PAT attempts.
Hershey, a redshirt sophomore who played his freshman season at Idaho State, came into the game 7-for-10 on the season. The Sun Devils have two other kickers on the roster: true freshman Carston Kieffer and senior Parker Lewis.
Watch Dillingham's postgame comments:
Kenny Dillingham said that ASU will be hosting kicking tryouts on Monday:
— Justin LaCertosa (@LaCertosaSports) October 19, 2024
"Our kicking game is atrocious. If you can kick and you're at Arizona State, email me. We're going to have kicking tryouts on Monday ... I'm dead serious."@DevilsDigest pic.twitter.com/tUsrZDP4Wi
The Sun Devils (5-2, 2-2) have a bye next week, which gives Dillingham and his staff time to figure out their kicking game. They return to the field on Nov. 2 with a road game at Oklahoma State.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.