Brooks: Kirkwood Travels An Improbable Path Into Football

BOULDER - If his college soccer coach had been agreeable to signing a release, Marcus Kirkwood more than likely would be kicking a soccer ball this weekend on some campus somewhere in the U.S.

Instead, he figures to be kicking a football Saturday night against Baylor at Folsom Field, making his college debut in a sport he's played for all of one year. He will be the third placekicker Colorado has used in six games, and most fans are figuring besides another three points, what have the Buffs got to lose?

Kirkwood believes his improbable athletic changeup is part of a plan designed by a higher authority. That's how he conducts his business, the way he lives his life. And if he can't conjure passion for what he's doing, count him out.

"If you're not doing something that you're passionate about and that honors the things you stand for, then you shouldn't be doing it," he said. "I like to live every day super-happy and joyful. I've got no reason to be grumpy.

"I feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity - blessed by the coaches, blessed by God, to be here. I mean, after never playing football and walking on at a Division I school and getting this opportunity is far beyond my capabilities to reason. It's just a huge God-thing."

The Colorado coaching staff isn't interested so much in how Kirkwood settled on CU (we'll get to that later) or if his arrival was divinely inspired. But if he and his size 13 left foot can be consistent from 45 yards in, if he can cap a drive with points, if he can capitalize on a turnover, a hallelujah chorus or two might erupt on the Buffs sideline.

In case you just tuned in, the placement portion part of the Buffs' football operation has been sporadic (an overly kind description at best) for the past several seasons. Untimely misses have been deflating and demoralizing for an offense that can't afford to pass up points - a scenario played out once again last weekend in CU's 26-0 loss at Missouri.

After botching a 40-yard field goal attempt, senior incumbent Aric Goodman was replaced by true freshman Justin Castor for the next try. When Castor's 40-yard attempt was blocked, the Buffs were done with field goal tries. Kirkwood made the trip, ostensibly as a backup kickoff specialist, with Castor traveling as Goodman's backup.

When practice resumed Tuesday, Kirkwood had moved to the front of the line. And unless something unscripted happens, Saturday's first shot goes to Kirkwood, who at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds will be the school's largest kicker on record (as if size matters at this position).

Other than going with Kirkwood, the placekicking options are (a) giving Castor another opportunity, now that his redshirt has been pulled; (b) pushing Zach Grossnickle into double duty after he's concentrated on punting all summer and fall; (c) using true freshman walk-on Dillan Freiberg, who also punts; or (d) staying with Goodman. For whatever reason, to open the Baylor game, the coaching staff decided against (a), although playing Castor at some point remains likely.

Kirkwood, a junior who is left-footed but right-handed, will go into Saturday night eager and excited. He came out of August camp believing he had been competitive with Goodman and Castor - Kirkwood called it "an absolute battle" - and coach Dan Hawkins acknowledged the competition was "close."

But Goodman and Castor are on scholarship and - let's face it - close calls often don't go to the walk-on. Plus, in August, Goodman was his usual self in practice, rarely missing a kick while Castor was going through an obvious break-in period but showing progress.

Then came trips to California and Missouri. The Buffs lost both games by the combined score of 78-7 and Goodman missed an early field goal in each. In August, before Goodman was named the kicker for the opener, Riddle told me he had options this season and would use them if Goodman faltered.

Enter Castor at Mizzou . . . but the magnitude of the moment apparently brought a lapse in technique and his field goal attempt appeared to leave his foot low. Special teams coach Kent Riddle said Castor "got a first taste of reality. He let his technique get away from him because he got caught up in the moment."

Now comes Kirkwood, an Arvadan who played basketball and soccer at Faith Christian Academy and pursued a soccer career at Concordia University, a private, Christian liberal arts school in Portland, Ore., with an enrollment of about 2,000. He gave little thought to football until he left Concordia, where he said he liked his soccer teammates but wasn't "a huge fan of the program (and) academically it wasn't where I wanted to be."

Transferring to another school to play soccer was his first preference, but there was a hitch: his coach wouldn't release him. "He decided if I wasn't playing for them, I wasn't playing anywhere," Kirkwood said. "It was a tough bullet to bite, but that's the way it goes. I guess it's the way college sports go."

Rather than transferring to another school and sitting out a year before he could resume his soccer career, he decided on a career change. "I had always dreamed of doing the football thing," he said. So he transferred to CU, played club soccer here in the fall of 2008, then approached assistant director of operations Todd Ritter and Riddle about walking on.

Kirkwood had a video of him practicing and Riddle offered a try out. After last season's opener, Kirkwood joined the squad and began competing.

While kicking a stationary ball that wasn't round admittedly was "totally different," Kirkwood said "athletics are athletics and it's the same deal. It's a transfer of sports, but it's the same situation. Go out there, do what you're good at and have a good time with it."

Even though first game-night scenario awaits, he's determined this about his role during practice: "Kicking definitely is the most high-pressure thing I've ever done," he said. "You don't get a chance to release your adrenalin. So being able to channel those emotions is a huge piece of things.

"Games are just like practice - the exact same things, the same players on the field doing their jobs. If you can channel that, then things are going to fall just the way they do at practice."

If he's called on Saturday night, he believes he will be able to maintain his focus and concentrate on kicking: "At that moment, I mean you're in the game . . . you step on the field and you're in that bubble. You forget about everything else and you pay attention to what's going on in front of you and do your job."

Kirkwood said he is "incredibly confident" about being able to succeed in an area where the Buffs need help. But Kirkwood he what could be a worrisome answer when I asked him about his range.

"That's a tough thing to say . . . it's kind of a daily thing," he said. "But I feel good with anything inside of 50, 55 (yards). That's a daily issue, though."

I'm not sure why that is, but then I'm not a kicker, a former soccer player or a kicking coach. If he can "feel good" about making 50- to 55-yard field goals and can be consistent from shorter distances, then the Buffs have their man.

Finally?

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU