After serving as the emergency backup to Davis in the Fiesta Bowl after Barbir transferred (the emergency never arose), Gillikin intends to fight for the starting place-kicking and kickoff jobs in the spring and then preseason camp.
“My goal is to add as much competition to that position as I can, whether that (means) taking over both positions or taking over one position, or just push the guys in front of me,” Gillikin said prior to the Fiesta Bowl. “I’m a competitor. So my goal is to win every single job on the team and help the team out as much as possible.”
This is no pipe dream, like when Bill O’Brien tried linebacker Gerald Hodges as a kickoff and punt return man in 2012 (with disastrous results). Gillikin, the second-team All-Big Ten punter in 2017, has a legitimate background as a placekicker.
At The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Gillikin led his team to the 2015 state title by kicking three field goals, including a 53-yarder. He had a school-record 56-yard field goal earlier that season. As a senior, he was 16 of 26 on field goals. That may not sound so great until you consider the range he was working from — he has successful boots of 56, 53 and 52 yards.
https://247sports.com/college/penn-...has-eyes-set-on-kicking-job-in-2018-113164548
“My goal is to add as much competition to that position as I can, whether that (means) taking over both positions or taking over one position, or just push the guys in front of me,” Gillikin said prior to the Fiesta Bowl. “I’m a competitor. So my goal is to win every single job on the team and help the team out as much as possible.”
This is no pipe dream, like when Bill O’Brien tried linebacker Gerald Hodges as a kickoff and punt return man in 2012 (with disastrous results). Gillikin, the second-team All-Big Ten punter in 2017, has a legitimate background as a placekicker.
At The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Gillikin led his team to the 2015 state title by kicking three field goals, including a 53-yarder. He had a school-record 56-yard field goal earlier that season. As a senior, he was 16 of 26 on field goals. That may not sound so great until you consider the range he was working from — he has successful boots of 56, 53 and 52 yards.
https://247sports.com/college/penn-...has-eyes-set-on-kicking-job-in-2018-113164548
