Is it Time for UCF to Unleash Colton Boomer?
The UCF Knights showed on Friday night that there are multiple facets of their game that need improvement, and fast. One of those areas of needed improvement is the kicking game. This has been a theme for the Knights since 2020, when Daniel Obarski took over the kicking duties after Matthew Wright went to the NFL.
Obarski has hit just 60% of his field goal attempts in his career. On kicks over 30 yards, that number shrinks to 50%. He has never made one longer than 40 yards, missing all eight attempts.
On Friday, he missed his second field goal of the early season, a 32-yard attempt that went wide left and was not really even close. He has yet to make a field goal through two games.
Obarski has missed some crucial kicks for UCF over the past few seasons, and it is only a matter of time before someone else gets a shot. The next man up is probably going to be Colton Boomer, a freshman out of Lake Mary (Fla.) High School with a big leg.
@BoomerColton getting ready for the up coming season @UCF_Football @CoachB_Blackmon Go Knights!!! pic.twitter.com/WYw0pZdKCQ
— Mark Lewis Kicking (@kickerMarkLewis) July 31, 2022
During the warmups before Friday’s game and at halftime, Boomer did not miss a single kick, whereas Obarski was all over the place. Also, Boomer appears to clearly possess the better leg.
It is possible that Obarski continues to kick in the very short term, as Gus Malzahn could stick with the veteran. Whether or not that decision will continue to haunt UCF remains to be seen. At this point, there is no reason not to give Boomer or someone else a chance.
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