Tribune file photo by Nick Lucero

I couldn’t find any photos of the current kickers, so I went with a shot of cheerleaders, since they are a special kind of team.

Storyline:

Special teams has been an up-and-down area for Cal Poly in the past couple seasons.

Without naming names, there was the highly publicized incident in Wisconsin in 2008. Last year, place kicker Chris Pinto hit on 61 percent of his field goals, which, even though it was an improvement over the prior season, was still inconsistent.

Harlan Prather netted only 33 yards per punt, and kickoff specialist Jake West averaged fewer than 50 yards per kickoff. West’s directional kicking, however, did help Cal Poly allow an FCS-low 14.77 yards per kick return.

In the Mustangs’ own kickoff return game, Cal Poly’s 17 yards per return ranked in the bottom 10 in the country. A bright spot was Asa Jackson, who landed in the top 10 in the FCS with more than 15 yards per punt return in his first season on special teams.

But things could shake up in the kicking game this year.

Outlook:

Who knows what will happen on returns. Jackson suffered a broken wrist in the spring — probably not the best injury for catching the ball — but he has some open-field jukes. I don’t think anyone would mind seeing him back there again.

On kickoffs, however, there could be a lot more explosion. West Virginia transfer Mark Rodgers likely excites people more as a running back, but most of his action in his two-year stint with the Mountaineers came on kick returns. You could see him back there.

Pinto is likely to take over punting duties this fall. Prather, a backup quarterback, was more of a “coffin corner” type of punter, looking to use angles and squib action to limit opponents’ opportunities.

Pinto has the ability to be more of an all-around punter. He flashed it during the spring, but like his placekicking, he could use more consistency.

West, a former Atascadero High standout, continues to be in the mix as a place kicker. He nailed a couple of long field goals in the spring game, but he also missed on some extra points.

Freshman Factor:

Here’s where it gets interesting. I’m sure a lot of locals would like to see Justin Bieber look-alike K.J. Cusack of St. Joseph get a shot at returns as a true freshman. He averaged more than 27 yards per return and had two go for touchdowns his senior season.

At 5-9, 165, Cusack might not be physically ready to carry the ball for the Mustangs. His first shot should be returning kicks.

And, finally, the big enchilada of this post is Pleasanton Foothill kicker James Langford. Ranked in the top 10 in his class nationally by ProKicker.com and in the top 25 by Chris Sailer, Langford sent 86 percent of his kickoffs for touchbacks and hit a 57-yard field goal to force overtime in a high school all-star game.

He should immediately challenge for all kickoff and place-kicking duties. I can’t even remember the last time I was interested in watching someone kick. But I have always wanted to know how those guys dribble footballs on the grass.

Now, all Cal Poly needs is some real uprights for him to kick through at practice.

Related posts:

1. Kickers battling with the pads on now
2. Countdown to Camp 2010: Cornerbacks
3. Countdown to Camp 2010: Running Backs
4. Countdown to Camp 2010: Receivers
5. Countdown to Camp 2010: Safeties