Ryan Burkhart is Irish

[Batch]

13th recruit is a kicker from Northwood. I cant seem to find him on scout.com

Does this mean Kai is going to UCLA?

Here is the article from SBT

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/09/05/sports.20050905-sbt-MARS-C1-NorthWood_kicker_com.sto

From the article the kid looks like a great kicker.

-Batch

 

[iowadomer]

No offense to this kid, but I'd rather have Kai. For all you people saying Burkhart is so much better, why didn't Weis offer him first of all. Weis offered Kai first, so he must be a better kicker. Also, Weis obviously thinks Kai is going to UCLA

 

[jiggafini19]

Forbath is the top rated kicker in the country by just about everyone, so I can't seem to figure out who is going to be better than him.

However, this kid Burkhardt can pop 50 yarders in there and has done so pretty consistently. It's a great pledge.

Forbath is waiting on USC. If they decide to offer him, he'll go there. ND might still be in it, but they've got their guy and that's that. First come, first serve recruiting. Would have been nice to land him, but they land this guy instead. I'm content with it.

 

[KMac151993]

Kickers are kickers, this kid is solid and can do the job.

 

[irishnd31]

Kai, no Kai, it does not matter... this kid has pledged his loyalty to the Irish!!!! Welcome. He sounds like a great pick up. The fact that he jumped on C-Dub'soffer as soon as he offered it just tells me that there are kids out there that are amazing at their positions that are overwhelmed by ND and it's history, tradition, fans, education, present coaching staff, etc... If Charlie thinks he is good enough...THEN HE IS GOOD ENOUGH. Do you think that some of these kids were impressd by ND's performance?

GOD BLESS ND
MU...YOU'RE NEXT!!!!
GO IRISH!!!!

 

[LuckoftheIrish86]

If he is kicking 50 yarders ( which he has been as of late) Hes fine with me.

C'mon Kates...make it Number 14!

 

[KMac151993]

More then Kates we need Walls, we need that lock down #1 corner that we have lacked since Walton and before him Bobby Taylor.

 

[Irish Envy]

Kickers are kickers, this kid is solid and can do the job.

Yeah, in the end, a 3 star kicker is as good as a 5 star if he can knock down the big kick in the clutch. If this kid can kick the long ones, half the battle is already won.

 

[weisfaninmass]

Yeah, in the end, a 3 star kicker is as good as a 5 star if he can knock down the big kick in the clutch. If this kid can kick the long ones, half the battle is already won.

Can you say Scott Bentley -- sometimes 5 star kickers become NO STAR kickers.

 

[Rip Rap]

Can you say Scott Bentley -- sometimes 5 star kickers become NO STAR kickers.

And even then, does anybody really think the #2 kicker is that much worse than the #1 kicker. This linear ranking system is an absurd way to view anything; it is more a question of tiers.

 

[BigIrish]

agreed. it's absurd to debate about two kickers where one is really, really good and the other is really, really, really good. please.

it's a good commit. let's keep the pace of one a week for the rest of the season.

 

[Guest]

Kid sounds really good to me. 4 for 5 this year with his only miss being a 52 yarder. He made one 53 yarder, and a majority of his kickoffs have been touchbacks..He's only going to mature and get stronger so this kid should be a good one.

I wonder who will handle punts next year. Burkhart will most likely be our kicker cause he seems to have a stronger leg then Carl Gioia and Price. I'd like to maybe see Burkhart handle both duties if he can, but Weis doesn't seem to want to do that.

 

[erod24]

I saw Burkhart kick against my HS (Concord) last Friday and let's just say if there's a kid with a stronger leg at this age then I'd love to see him. The kid can kick. He sent a kickoff through the uprights (sp) and his point-after attempts were hitting people at the concession stands (kind of funny). The kid is roughly 6' 185lbs. The kid has plenty of room on him to add more leg strength to an already powerful leg. Trust me, we got a good one.
GO IRISH!

 

[jiggafini19]

I saw Burkhart kick against my HS (Concord) last Friday and let's just say if there's a kid with a stronger leg at this age then I'd love to see him. The kid can kick. He sent a kickoff through the uprights (sp) and his point-after attempts were hitting people at the concession stands (kind of funny). GO IRISH!

After watching the Pitt game, ND needs a guy like this.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but no touchbacks Saturday night, correct?

And our field goal and punting units were not really tested. Something to chew on.

 

[BGIF]

For those of you hung up on Kai, read how Burkhart did in Ray Guy Competition. i posted this on another site on Monday.

Keep in mind some recruits are 16 or 17 entering their senior year of high school. Many recruits had to wait their turn on their team, many mature the last year. Burkhart performed with excellence on FGs, Punts, and KickOffs. And he's getting headlines in high school football right now. Oh, and he's not going to complain about Michiana winters, or being far away from the California girls. He didn't make repeated campus trips to ponder the pluses and minuses of UCLA, ND, and USC. Burkhart leaped at the opportunity to wear a gold helmet.


Ryan Burkhart 5-11 185 North Wood HS, Nappanee, IN

He doesn't appear in either the Scout or Rivals databases but a google search lists him as the TOP KICKER at the Ray Guy Kicking School. Burkhart is the #1 Kicker in the Ray Guy rankings.


Ray Guy/ProKicker.com National Camp Rankings High School

http://www.prokicker.com/rankings/highschool/78

Indianapolis Academy Records (Indianapolis, Indiana June 7-8 Ben Davis HS)
Top Kickers
Rank Name Avg. Kickoff Distance Best Kickoff Distance Avg. Kickoff Hangtime Best Kickoff Hangtime Field Goal Accuracy
1 Burkhart, Ryan 66.25 75.00 3.64 3.77 90%

Indianapolis Academy Scores for 2005:
Best kickoff distance: 75 Ryan Burkhart
Indianapolis Academy Records:
Best kickoff distance: 75 Ryan Burkhart (2005)

National Academy Records:
Best kickoff distance: 75 Ryan Burkhart (2005)

Top Punters
Rank Name Avg. Distance Best Distance Avg. Hangtime Best Hangtime
1 Burkhart, Ryan 39.80 51.00 4.07 4.56

Indianapolis Academy Scores for 2005:
Best punting distance: 51 Ryan Burkhart

Indianapolis Academy Records:
Best punting distance: 51 Ryan Burkhart (2005)

Top Kicker/Punter Combos
Rank Name Kickoff Distance Kickoff Hangtime Punting Distance Punting Hangtime Accuracy
1 Burkhart, Ryan average 66.25 3.64 39.80 4.07 90%
best 75.00 3.77 51.00 4.56

Top Punter/Kick-off Specialists
Rank Name Kickoff Distance Kickoff Hangtime Punting Distance Punting Hangtime
1 Burkhart, Ryan average 66.25 3.64 39.80 4.07
best 75.00 3.77 51.00 4.56

Note: rankings are calculated from a proprietary weighted average that combines distance, hangtime, and accuracy for everyone attending this camp.

 

[Guest]

Kickers are never rated with 4 or 5 stars. Top 5 or so kckers will be rated with 3 stars. Burkhart is currently listed as a 2 star player on rivals. That's not a bad thing because Rivals only rates about 25 kickers a year. Lemming has him as a top 10 kicker. It's safe to say he's in the 4-10 range. Bottom line he should be a sound kicker in college, with the potenial to be a great kicker.
last year's kickers
http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=931&Year=2005

 

[jiggafini19]

Seems like he has good range and some thunder. If he has the power ERod says he does, ND is set.