Countdown to Kickoff: No. 97 Jadon Redding

With 97 days until kickoff for the University of Utah, it’s time to talk about a kicker. Not just any kicker, the 2020 1st Team All-Pac-12 kicker, Jadon Redding.

For the Utes to have as big of a year in 2021 as the program is expecting, they’ll need their sophomore kicker to duplicate his 2020 performance and then some. During the shortened five game season, Redding didn’t miss a single kick, going 17-17 on PATs and 8-8 on field goals. For his career, he’s a perfect 73-73 on PATs and 18-21 on field goals.

Any potential competition—although he’s unlikely to lose the job after his 2020 honors—would come from freshman Jordan Noyes, who is known for a big leg.

At one point in the 2021 season, Utah will need a clutch moment or more from Redding and the dependable kicker seems up to the challenge.

UteNation Take

Redding seems entrenched as the Utes starting kicker for the long-term, unless a reliable kicker with a stronger leg can unseat him—he has yet to have a field goal over 50 yards. That’s something that’s never out of the question with Utah, as the program seems to attract elite kickers, on a yearly basis.

The secret to unlocking more power from Redding is likely to come from his technique, as UteNation special contributor Golden Whetman has said this about him in the recent past:

“He has a great inside-out swing and natural slide step with his plant foot, which is a great sign for accuracy. One thing to fix is that he does tend to drop his head and crunch down towards the ball on impact, which takes away power from his swing. With a little coaching on his technique, kicking with his chest a little bit higher at impact, he would get another 5 to 10 yards distance on every single kick.”

-Golden Whetman

Alex remembers Redding’s recruitment

Although he came to Utah as a walkon, Redding was a well-respected kicker in the 2018 class, even holding a reported offer from Maryland. Despite his accolades, he took a year off to focus on his academics and eventually tripped Utah and made his announcement shortly after.