Dellinger looks to get his kicks in 2019

MORE: Spring Football Central

If you arrive at a spring practice early—around 3:15 p.m. or so for a 4 p.m. practice—you will hear the sound of toe meeting leather echoing in the Mollenkopf Center.

Thud! A 35-yard field goal.

Thud! A 42-yard field goal.

Thud! A 48-yard field goal.

It’s J.D Dellinger, practicing his craft before most of the team has hit the field. This is his year to be the No. 1 kicker. And he wants to make sure he’s ready.

“I have been doing an OK job so far,” said Dellinger.

Dellinger has been the No. 1 kicker before. Flash back to 2016. Dellinger was a freshman when he won the job, hitting 10-of-14 field goals with a long of 42 yards. The highlight was nailing a game-winning 28-yarder in overtime at Illinois, earning him Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

In 2017, Dellinger shared kicking duties with Spencer Evans, a tattooed transfer from Baylor with a cannon leg. Dellinger connected on 9-of-13 field goals with a long of 40 yards. Evans hit 8-of-11 with a long of 49.

With Evans returning for his senior season in 2018—and with a redshirt season to use—Dellinger sat out last year. He did hit 1-of-2 field goals when Evans was sick but still was able to retain his redshirt. Evans hit 18-of-23 field-goal attempts last season, drilling a game-winning 25-yarder as time expired vs. Iowa.

Now a junior, the 6-2, 195-pound Dellinger is primed to be the top kicker. And improved leg strength will make him difficult to unseat. Purdue hasn't had a 50-yard field goal since Paul Griggs nailed three in 2014.

“I am hitting out to 55 yards pretty decently right now without any problem,” said Dellinger.

Dellinger hopes improved oomph allows him to became proficient at touchbacks, which was a specialty for Evans and a role he handled each of the last two seasons. Evans had 40 touchbacks last season and 35 in 2017. Having a kicker who can bang kickoffs into and through the end zone for touchbacks is a big weapon to eliminate the threat of big run backs while also setting up the defense at a decent spot (25-yard line). Earlier in his career, Dellinger lacked that ability.

“I plan on kicking off this year,” said Dellinger. “That has been a main focus for me. And also just being consistent kicking field goals. We have a brand new snapper and a brand new holder this year. It’s not just (snapper) Ben (Makowski) and (holder) Joe (Schopper) anymore. That has been a main focus, just trying to get the whole operation worked out and smooth.”

Brooks Royal has been taking the No. 1 snaps with Grant East and Hunter McDonald also getting turns. Quarterback Danny Carollo has been the holder.

The key to kickoffs? Dellinger--a Charlotte, N.C., native--says rhythm matters. It’s not just about running full speed to the ball and swinging as hard as he can. Rather, it’s about maintaining a steady pace.

“Then I can swing as hard as I can,” said Dellinger. “When you run slower, your margin for error goes down when you kick off. That’s the difference between field goals and kickoffs, that margin for error is so much higher because you have 10 steps to run into the ball instead of three. So, if you can control those factors that influence margin for error, you can be more successful. It has been a real focus.”

Jeff Brohm is confident in Dellinger.

“I think he can be a consistent field-goal and extra-point kicker for us,” said Brohm. “He has worked hard on kickoffs, improving that. He’s our guy now. We want to get some competition in here to push him to do things well, but we are very confident in J.D.”

For now, Dellinger’s only competition is Vince Alerding, a product of Cathedral High in Indianapolis who played a season at New Mexico before coming to Purdue. He joined the team earlier this spring as a walk-on. In June, the Boilermakers will welcome walk-on Chris VanEekeren from Chesterton, Ind.

“They brought Vincent in after spring break,” said Dellinger. “I was the only guy here for the first two weeks. I know they have Chris coming in this summer as a walk-on. As far as I know, us three will be the only ones around. I have full intention of being the guy.”

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