The state of Utah has a rare selection of multiple standout placekickers this 2022 HS season. On Saturday night, the University of Utah received a preferred walk-on commitment from what appears to be one of the top if not THE top kicker in the state, Dax Iverson.
From a physical standpoint, Dax has a good frame at 5-foot-11 and around 200 pounds to fit right into the collegiate kicking game with even more strength and room to grow. He was the starting placekicker, kickoff specialist and punter this past season. The Utes should be recruiting him solely as a placekicker who can also help in the kickoff game.
Dax is a right footed, standard technique kicker with good technique with great ankle and leg lock, solid leg whip and a full extension with a clean follow through. As a starting kicker all 3 years in HS, with excellent seasons not only as a senior but as well as a junior.
He fits the bill in what the Utes’ special teams have been searching for in a kicker who can not only help in the kicking game, but can contribute as someone the team can look at as a weapon. Ideally, a kicker should be one of the leading scorers on the team, which means that not only does he provide that extra point after a touchdown, but provides those vital field goals in key moments in close games as a subsidy to a touchdown.
Kicking 10 field goals as a senior and to go along with 50 total points, as well as 6 field goals as a junior for 46 total points, he's more than proven his ability to be that consistent scoring threat that a top tier program needs from their placekicker. His strength appears to be the power his right leg has, as he made 5 field goals in the red zone, but he also had 5 over 40 including a long of 51 yards and would have been good from 60.
As a former power kicker myself, it's fun to see when a kid masters the technical aspects to generate distance on kicks. On kickoffs, his slow approach with a buildup of speed towards the ball with a nice looking hurdle kick and follow through towards the target. Kickoff hang times and height are well suited for a collegiate kicker with an average for a HS kicker of 4.03 seconds, which is in the 4+ second range that all KO's should be in. This indicates that he's hitting the very small 'sweet spot' that's a size of a quarter that a football has, while also keeping his chest high during the kick to follow through to produce the collegiate hangtime required.
Below are his kickoff/touchback percentages, as well as his average kickoff yards and hang time:
Senior: 35/40 87% touchback rate
Average 66 yards - 4.03 hang time
Junior: 37/44 84%
Average 66 yards - 3.88 Hang Time
With his actual kickoffs ending up through the uprights and/or at that length in live games, the Utes have a kicker worthy of pressing the existing kicking situation as a true freshman, with a good opportunity to win the spot immediately.
As a Chris Sailer kicking camp attendee, he's had the exposure in an extremely competitive kicking camp circuit and should be ready to compete either in spring or during fall camp. One thing to note is that he could elect to serve a LDS mission, first—something that I’m told is yet to be determined.
