Georgia Tech punter Ryan Rodwell’s highlight from the Yellow Jackets’ win over Miami on Saturday likely was his 10-yard run off a fake punt that gave his team a first down and a momentum boost. But it wasn’t the only one.
Rodwell was named the team’s special-teams player of the week for the second time this season as he put all three of his punts inside the Miami 20-yard line. Only one was returned, for four yards.
“Talent wins if talent works hard,” special-teams coordinator Ray Rychleski said. “I think he’s talented and I think he’s working very hard.”
Rodwell is averaging 42.7 yards per punt and netting 39.1 yards per punt. Ten of his 15 punts have landed inside the 20. When he played six games as a first-year freshman in 2012 as a sub for Sean Poole, he averaged 39.7 yards with two of 13 punts inside the 20. Thus far, he’s provided more consistency at a position that can use it.
“That’s satisfying (to help the team win the field-position game), but I’m not satisfied,” Rodwell said last week. “I want to keep pushing myself to do better and pin the ball where I need it to help out as much as I can.”
The secret of Rodwell’s improvement is not much of one. Rodwell, the first punter to whom coach Paul Johnson offered a scholarship as a recruit, spent the summer honing his footwork, his drop and the quickness of his delivery. He also trained with kicker Harrison Butker and snappers Sean Tobin and Trevor Stroebel, as he became Butker’s holder, a job he had never held before.
“I critique myself pretty hard,” Rodwell said. “I love to go back and watch film, even holds and stuff like that, not even just punting.”
Thus far, Rodwell has proven a capable holder for Butker. Rodwell practiced holding his first two years, but was elevated to the top spot after Poole’s graduation. Butker said earlier this season that Rodwell cares more about doing the job well than he does.
Rodwell, a redshirt sophomore, has also lost a considerable amount of weight since arriving on campus at 221. He is down to 188, which undoubtedly helped him escape two would-be tacklers on the fake punt. Rychleski said Rodwell could have run even farther had two members of the punt team, who were supposed to run downfield to sell the fake, not turned to watch Rodwell run. Johnson joked that Rodwell “looked like a tailback” when he took off running.
Team members were happy for Rodwell, Rychleski said, as he has become a team favorite for his effort.
“And then, of course, getting body slammed (at the end of the run) doesn’t hurt,” he said. “He just got body slammed and he popped up and high-fived everybody. I’m happy for him and the team.”
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