Highlight Tuesday for August 11, 2020: Austin Hosier, Kicker, Class of 2021
Austin Hosier is a 5 feet 7 inch, 160 pound kicker for the football team. Stuck behind fellow kickers Mason Reid (North Texas) and Joaquin Rodriguez (Texas Lutheran), Hosier nailed 3/5 FGs and 36/39 XPs with 11 touchbacks for junior varsity. A 4.5-star Kohl’s Kicker, Hosier has a clear path to the starting varsity kicking job on a team that excels at reaching the red zone. And despite his limited varsity experience – called up as depth for the 2019 bi-district playoff loss to Lake Travis – he’s already picked up offers to Simpson College and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. And he’s only getting better.
“I feel like from a prepared perspective going into this season, our coaching staff has put me in a position that will enable me to have my best season yet,” Hosier told Ranger Recruiting.
“Last year I could [have] been moved up to varsity and sat behind Joaquin for the season and gotten limited reps. Instead, the coaches chose to keep me at the JV level, which allowed me to get all the reps there. I felt like I had a very good season and I was able to get good film, which has helped me in the recruiting process.”
The decision to remain at the subvarsity level was difficult for Hosier to swallow, but in the end, he says it was the best thing for his development.
“I wanted to be moved up [to varsity] like my other friends,” he said, “[But] looking back that was the best decision for me and my progression. The coaching staff… was actually looking out for my best interest, and I am very grateful.”
Many people have taken a sort of semi-vacation during quarantine, watching Netflix and slacking on the weight set, but not Hosier. He’s jumped on every opportunity presented to him this summer, and it’s paid off. Regional and national camps for national specialist scouting services like Kohl’s Kicking have proved big stepping tones for a player who could’ve otherwise slipped through the cracks.
“As universities were unable to host their own camps they became more reliant on companies like Kohl’s, Chris Sailer Kicking, NKR (National Kicking Rankings) and other individual coaches and companies that specialize in training, assessing and ranking specialists,” Hosier said. “I was able to attend two Kohl’s Specialist camps. One was a regional, in which I was one of the top performers, and the second was their National Scholarship Camp, [which] over 800 specialists attended… I did very well and finished tied for 10th place on field goal points… Both [of] those events helped propel my confidence and exposure.”
This kid dreams big. Perfect on extra points, 90+ percent on field goals, and who knows? Maybe an onside kick or two to boot. Bold goals for a first-year varsity kicker, but if anyone can do it, it’s Austin Hosier.
“Going into this season, I feel like I am kicking the best I have ever kicked,” he said. “I’ve worked hard on field goals and kickoffs and I feel like I can make every kick the coaches ask me to make.
“I’m excited for the upcoming season, I want to help this team be as successful as we can possibly be.”
Ranger Recruiting 