Tag: Blake Haubeil

The top-rated Ohio State kicker recruits since 2000

The top-rated Ohio State kicker recruits since 2000 #GoBucks

We have been diving into some of the more highly touted recruits in Ohio State history. We recently discussed the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, guards, center, defensive ends, defensive tackles, inside linebackers, outside linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, recruits listed as athletes, and punters.

Even though 247Sports‘ recruiting rankings only go back to 2000, there are some memorable names, but Ohio State has only picked up three big names since the start of the site. The lack of top-tier talent at kicker isn’t all the fault of Ohio State though as highly-ranked kickers are rare.

Eagles had 2 players in for work outs as matchup with Giants approaches

Philadelphia #Eagles had 2 players in for work outs on Thursday ahead of Sundays matchup against the New York #Giants

With COVID-19 causing havoc among rosters all across the league, the Eagles did their due diligence from a special teams perspective on Thursday, working out two kickers.

Former Ohio State placekicker Blake Haubeil and former Boise State placekicker Tyler Rausa bout had workouts at the NovaCare Complex ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is already in COVID-19 protocols, along with Landon Dickerson and Andre Dillard.

Report: Titans to work out former CFL kicker Lirim Hajrullahu

The Titans are reportedly already looking at potential reinforcements at kicker.

After seeing kickers Tucker McCann and Blake Haubeil struggle on Day 2 of training camp, the Tennessee Titans are reportedly already looking at reinforcements.

According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Titans are set to work out former Canadian Football League kicker, Lirim Hajrullahu.

Hajrullahu spent six seasons in the CFL, two apiece with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He posted a field goal success rate of 83.3 percent in that span, and also served as a punter.

A multi-time All-Star, Hajrullahu also posted field goal percentages of 87 and 88.1 percent in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

The Kosovo-born kicker has tried his hand in the NFL, but without success. He was cut by the Los Angeles Rams in favor of former Titans kicker Sam Sloman in 2020, and had a brief stint with the Carolina Panthers in 2021 before getting cut.

Back in May, Hajrullahu was named The Spring League’s South Division Player of the Week after going five-for-five in a game, which included a successful conversion of a 59-yard attempt.

While it’s good to see Tennessee bringing in more potential help to join their kicker competition after McCann and Haubeil struggled on Thursday, Hajrullahu still lacks the NFL experience the Titans need.

On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed the Titans have hired former University of Tennessee kicker James Wilhoit to help coach the position.

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Titans kickers struggle on Day 2 of training camp

Mike Vrabel acknowledged the struggles of his kickers after practice.

The Tennessee Titans entered training camp with a shaky situation at kicker, which is troublesome considering the team has seen major issues at the position the past two seasons.

The Titans are currently seeing a positional battle unfold between a pair of undrafted free agents in Tucker McCann and Blake Haubeil, neither of whom have ever attempted a kick in the NFL.

The concern over this situation came to life on Thursday during Tennessee’s second training camp practice, where McCann and Haubeil both struggled.

According to beat writers on the ground, McCann, a 2020 UDFA, and Haubeil, a 2021 UDFA, both missed two of their five kicks.

McCann made attempts from 33, 40 and 43 yards, but misfired from 37 and 49 yards out. Meanwhile, Haubeil was good from 33, 37 and 43 yards out, but missed his chances from 40 and 49 yards. All four misses went wide right.

This comes just one day after Tennessee’s kickers made all of their attempts. McCann appeared to be the more impressive of the two in that instance, though.

When asked about the kicker situation after practice, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged that both had issues while kicking in front of the whole team, which he says was a test for the inexperienced duo.

We still expect the Titans to add a kicker during training camp, and hopefully it’s veteran Stephen Gostkowski, who is the best option available currently and was solid as the team’s starter in the second half of 2020.

During his opening presser of training camp, Vrabel wouldn’t rule out the team making an addition at the position.

If this keeps up, the Titans might be adding that kicker sooner rather than later.

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Mike Vrabel ‘comfortable’ with Titans’ kickers, won’t rule out adding more

Stephen Gostkowski remains an option for the Titans at kicker.

One of the biggest concerns the Tennessee Titans face going into the 2021 season is at the kicker position, where the team is set to have a competition for the starting job between a pair of undrafted free agents.

Tucker McCann, who was signed in 2020, and Blake Haubeil, who was signed in 2021, remain the only options at kicker for the Titans right now, something that is troublesome to say the least.

That’s because neither has any NFL experience, which isn’t exactly ideal for a team that has sported a field goal success rate ranked No. 32 and No. 31 the past two seasons, respectively.

For now, Vrabel says he’s “comfortable” with Tennessee’s options, but he isn’t ruling out the team making an addition to the competition at some point, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“We’ll work with those guys and see where it goes,” Vrabel said. “We’re comfortable and positive that those guys are going to go out and compete. (We want to) give Tucker an opportunity. … He was really impressive as we worked our way through training camp (last year), and then he got injured. … We’ll let those guys compete, and like any other position, if we have to bring guys in, we can do that.”

When asked about 2020 starter, Stephen Gostkowski, Vrabel had this to say:

“Until he retires, I would imagine that anybody would be a potential (option), but I don’t know.”

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Gostkowski remains available on the open market, although it still isn’t clear what his future plans are at the age of 37. The veteran did struggle during the first half of last season, but righted the ship in his final eight games (including playoffs), making 10 of 11 kicks.

Other options on the free-agent market include Dan Bailey, Zane Gonzalez, Roberto Aguayo and Brett Maher. None of those options are as proven as Gostkowski, though.

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Tennessee Titans 2021 training camp preview: Special teams

The Titans will see competitions at kicker and punt returner in training camp.

Believe it or not, we are just five days away from the start of Tennessee Titans training camp, which will feature several positional battles to watch, including at the kicker position.

Players will report on July 27 and head coach Mike Vrabel will hold a presser that day. The Titans will then get down to business the next day, with the first training camp practice set for July 28.

When looking at special teams, there are more competitions set to take place than at just kicker. The Titans also have to figure out who their return men will be, although one of those spots figures to already be set.

Thankfully, the punter situation is already figured out, as it has been ever since the great Brett Kern came into our lives.

We’ll still take a look at the punter position, as well as kicker, long snapper and returner, in what is our final training camp preview.

Titans’ Jon Robinson explains how he comes up with rookie nicknames

Jon Robinson has dubbed UDFA punter James Smith, “Keith Urban.”

Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson is a fan of giving out nicknames to rookies, and that’s especially true with the lesser-known ones on the roster.

Nicknames for players in general are very common, and anytime you hear Robinson or head coach Mike Vrabel speak, chances are you’ll hear some semblance of a nickname for players they talk about, rookie or not.

Robinson, who spoke at the Rotary Club of Nashville recently, explained how he comes up with nicknames for first-year players, using undrafted free-agent signings Blake Haubeil and James Smith as two examples.

Robinson revealed that Haubeil, who played his college ball at Ohio State, is known as “The Buckeye”, while Smith is known as “Keith Urban”, a singer-songwriter who, like Smith, is Australian. (H/T Emily Proud of WKRN).

Haubeil is set to compete for the starting kicker job at training camp, while Smith is just hoping to secure a spot on the practice squad with the great Brett Kern also on the roster.

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Tennessee Titans signed Blake Haubeil as undrafted free agent

The Tennessee Titans have signed former Ohio State kicker Blake Haubeil as an undrafted free agent.

The 2021 NFL draft is over, but teams are still trying to fill out their roster by signing undrafted free agents. A whopping ten former Ohio State Buckeyes heard their names called on draft weekend, but there are still a number of former Buckeyes eager to sign with their new home.

One of the Buckeyes who was signed over the weekend is former kicker Blake Haubeil who is going to get an opportunity to fight for a spot in the league. Heubeil struggled with injuries last season, but no doubt showed his potential with his memorable career-long field goal of 55 yards against Northwestern. We wish him good luck earning his spot with the Tennessee Titans.

Ohio State NFL draft breakdown – kicker Blake Haubeil

We’re breaking down Ohio State football players eligible for the 2021 NFL draft. Time to look at kicker Blake Haubeil and his pros and cons.

Now that the college football season is over, and the NFL draft declaration are more or less done for Ohio State, we’re giving you an early look we lead up to the 2021 NFL draft. We’ll be providing breakdowns of all the Buckeye football players that will be eligible to be taken at the highest level and will then have even more closer to all the fun in April.

For our next draftee breakdown, we look at kicker Blake Haubeil. While some may ask why scout a kicker, some NFL teams have had kicking issues and could be looking to upgrade their tenuous position. Most kickers do not get drafted, but some will go in the late rounds. Haubeil has the potential to be a very late-round pick.

Haubiel did not play in the national championship game due to a lingering groin issue, and while the medicals will need to be researched, it did not appear a serious enough injury for Haubeil to not be considered for an NFL team. Groin issues can linger, but he should be fine when teams watch him kick this offseason.

Haubiel was perfect on extra points this season and missed only two of the seven field goals he attempted this past season. His groin issues probably had more to do with the misses than his technique. He has a strong leg and has made a 55-yard field goal with relative ease and has a 61-yard field goal to his credit in high school. He consistently kicks the ball deep and out of the end zone on kickoffs, displaying his leg strength for the next level.

Haubeil has good follow through on his kicks, and keeps his shoulders square and lined up. I did not notice and stutter steps or false steps at any point and his approach is comfortable and steady. His approach has a good pace and his plant is strong.

The cons to Haubeil will be the medical follow-ups and some eyeballs on his two misses this year. He is a big kicker which will help on kickoff coverage, although should his groin be an issue he may need to lose some weight if his approach is compromised which could alter his leg strength. Haubeil is not the best kicker in this draft but has one of the strongest legs. He could go in the seventh round, but will no doubt get a shot with a team at least as an undrafted free agent.

Ohio State football player 2021 NFL draft declaration tracker

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Ohio State football releases player availability for national championship game, will be without three key starters

According to the player availability report released by Ohio State just prior to game time, the Buckeyes will be without three key starter.

After days of speculation of who was going to be available to play in tonight’s national championship game, the official report has finally been released from Ohio State. And it’s not exactly what we hoped for, but not as bad as initially assumed either.

As was rumored, both Tommy Togiai and Tyreke Smith are both listed as unavailable for tonight’s game. Both Togiai and Smith played huge roles in the Buckeyes win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. Their absence on the defensive line will for sure be felt.

Kicker Blake Haubeil will also not be available for this game leaving Ohio State without three starters. True Freshman, Jake Seibert will most likely handle kicking duties. Time for the next man up.

On the bright side of things, Master Teague and Harry Miller are both cleared to play on the offensive side of the ball while Tyler Friday and Zach Harrison are back on the defensive side. All four missed the Clemson game.

It’s just about game time. Let’s see what the Buckeyes are made of.

NEXT … Complete status report from Ohio State.

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