Herd punter lacks size but not ability or confidence
By Jacob Messer
Daily Mail sports writer
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall University and Kase Whitehead had the same goal when they consummated their relationship in February with a national letter of intent: For him to become its starting punter when he stepped on campus.
True freshman Kase Whitehead will start at punter for Marshall this season.
Whitehead, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound true freshman, has impressed Thundering Herd coaches since preseason practice began Aug. 5 and is expected to start when Marshall plays host to Illinois State in the season opener Aug. 30.
"Most 18-year-old kids don't know who they are or what they want to be," special teams coordinator Jared Smith said. "But he does."
Consider this anecdote, which Smith shared at Marshall's Media Day press conference:
Some people pronounce Whitehead's first name "Kase," like a court case. Some people pronounce it "Kasey," as in the epic sports poem "Casey at the Bat." Even his parents and brothers can't agree on the proper pronunciation (he says it doesn't matter to him; he answers to both).
Smith asked Whitehead which pronunciation he preferred. Here was his answer, according to his position coach: "It doesn't really matter as long as you know I'm your starting punter."
"That right there shows you that freshman came in and has a little bit of confidence," Smith said. "That's what you like."
Confidence is good, Smith said. But he also wants another C word from Whitehead: consistency.
Smith has no complaints to date.
"As far as in practice, he has probably handled the pressure even better than I expected," Smith said of Whitehead, who is the only scholarship punter on the roster. "I think overall he has done a really good job."
Whitehead continued his impressive August on Wednesday afternoon, averaging 45.3 yards on six punts during Marshall's special teams rehearsal. He also provided the highlight of the day with a 76-yard punt from the end zone.
"I wanted to say it was on the turf or it was the breeze or anything like that," Smith said. "But that little kid has got a leg. When they say big things come in small packages, he proved it today. There is no question after his performance that he is the No. 1 guy right now. It's his job to lose."
Smith said coaches and teammates try to rattle Whitehead to no avail.
"The good thing is, we try to rattle them -- he and (junior kicker) Craig (Ratanamorn) -- as much as possible in practice in the different situations they have been in, and I don't know if he has cotton in his ears or what, but it's not bothering him," Smith said. "That's what has been most impressive."
Marshall Coach Mark Snyder has called the punt "the most important play in football."
Surely that statement from the head honcho put enough pressure on Whitehead to rattle him at least a little bit, right? Wrong.
"Well, we believe that also," Whitehead said with a big grin. "Or I do at least.
"It really is probably the most important play," he added. "Field position is the game of football when you get down to it."
Whitehead is a second-generation punter. His father, Barry Whitehead, played in college -- first at Tennessee and then at Maryville.
"Dad was pretty much my coach from the position standpoint," Whitehead said.
Whitehead averaged 46.7 yards per punt during his senior season at William Blount High School, where he became one of three kicker candidates for Tennessee's Mr. Football awards. He put 15-of-31 punts inside the 20-yard line. He had a long of 72 yards, with help from a 10-yard roll.
Marshall fans will love this fact: Whitehead also played linebacker and tailback in high school. He brings aspects of each position to his own, especially toughness.
"Me and dad always talk (about punters making tackles)," Whitehead said. "We don't like the guys who try to jump on the guy's back if he breaks free through the coverage. I kind of like to stick them. I'm going to try to stick them. I don't like the shoestring tackles or the I'm-going-to-jump-on-your-back-thing-and-hope-you-fall-down tackles."
Whitehead also made history at William Blount: He became the first player in school history to earn a Division I scholarship when he committed to Marshall as a junior, choosing the Conference USA program over Auburn, Florida State, Northwestern and Tennessee.
Count Whitehead among the players who can't wait until Marshall's season opener in nine days.
"I'm really excited that I can get these guys out of bad situations and help my team out and make a name for myself," he said.
Contact sports writer Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall University and Kase Whitehead had the same goal when they consummated their relationship in February with a national letter of intent: For him to become its starting punter when he stepped on campus.
So far, so good.
Whitehead, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound true freshman, has impressed Thundering Herd coaches since preseason practice began Aug. 5 and is expected to start when Marshall plays host to Illinois State in the season opener Aug. 30.
"Most 18-year-old kids don't know who they are or what they want to be," special teams coordinator Jared Smith said. "But he does."
Consider this anecdote, which Smith shared at Marshall's Media Day press conference:
Some people pronounce Whitehead's first name "Kase," like a court case. Some people pronounce it "Kasey," as in the epic sports poem "Casey at the Bat." Even his parents and brothers can't agree on the proper pronunciation (he says it doesn't matter to him; he answers to both).
Smith asked Whitehead which pronunciation he preferred. Here was his answer, according to his position coach: "It doesn't really matter as long as you know I'm your starting punter."
"That right there shows you that freshman came in and has a little bit of confidence," Smith said. "That's what you like."
Confidence is good, Smith said. But he also wants another C word from Whitehead: consistency.
Smith has no complaints to date.
"As far as in practice, he has probably handled the pressure even better than I expected," Smith said of Whitehead, who is the only scholarship punter on the roster. "I think overall he has done a really good job."
Whitehead continued his impressive August on Wednesday afternoon, averaging 45.3 yards on six punts during Marshall's special teams rehearsal. He also provided the highlight of the day with a 76-yard punt from the end zone.
"I wanted to say it was on the turf or it was the breeze or anything like that," Smith said. "But that little kid has got a leg. When they say big things come in small packages, he proved it today. There is no question after his performance that he is the No. 1 guy right now. It's his job to lose."
Smith said coaches and teammates try to rattle Whitehead to no avail.
"The good thing is, we try to rattle them -- he and (junior kicker) Craig (Ratanamorn) -- as much as possible in practice in the different situations they have been in, and I don't know if he has cotton in his ears or what, but it's not bothering him," Smith said. "That's what has been most impressive."
Marshall Coach Mark Snyder has called the punt "the most important play in football."
Surely that statement from the head honcho put enough pressure on Whitehead to rattle him at least a little bit, right? Wrong.
"Well, we believe that also," Whitehead said with a big grin. "Or I do at least.
"It really is probably the most important play," he added. "Field position is the game of football when you get down to it."
Whitehead is a second-generation punter. His father, Barry Whitehead, played in college -- first at Tennessee and then at Maryville.
"Dad was pretty much my coach from the position standpoint," Whitehead said.
Whitehead averaged 46.7 yards per punt during his senior season at William Blount High School, where he became one of three kicker candidates for Tennessee's Mr. Football awards. He put 15-of-31 punts inside the 20-yard line. He had a long of 72 yards, with help from a 10-yard roll.
Marshall fans will love this fact: Whitehead also played linebacker and tailback in high school. He brings aspects of each position to his own, especially toughness.
"Me and dad always talk (about punters making tackles)," Whitehead said. "We don't like the guys who try to jump on the guy's back if he breaks free through the coverage. I kind of like to stick them. I'm going to try to stick them. I don't like the shoestring tackles or the I'm-going-to-jump-on-your-back-thing-and-hope-you-fall-down tackles."
Whitehead also made history at William Blount: He became the first player in school history to earn a Division I scholarship when he committed to Marshall as a junior, choosing the Conference USA program over Auburn, Florida State, Northwestern and Tennessee.
Count Whitehead among the players who can't wait until Marshall's season opener in nine days.
"I'm really excited that I can get these guys out of bad situations and help my team out and make a name for myself," he said.
Contact sports writer Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
