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Bulls kicker Schwartz makes most of chance

Staff photo by JASON BEHNKEN

Walk-on kicker Eric Schwartz made kicks of 30, 44 and 26 yards to solidify his grip as USF's starting kicker.

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By SCOTT CARTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2009

TAMPA - The guy kept showing up to see if he could get a tryout, and University of South Florida coach Jim Leavitt kept trying to scare him away.

Walk-on kicker Eric Schwartz remained as persistent as a door-to-door salesman, so this spring Leavitt finally let Schwartz try out for the team. He figured he could get rid of him pretty fast and wouldn't miss him at all with Maikon Bonani and Delbert Alvarado expected to handle the kicking duties.

"When I have guys try out in the spring, I put them through the wringer," Leavitt said Tuesday. "I want to find the guys who are going to mess up. And I wait. All they've got to do is mess up, and I say, 'See ya.' Well, he never messed up. I didn't really want to bring another kicker out."

Of course, even after allowing Schwartz to participate in spring drills, Leavitt never expected to see the former Hudson High two-sport standout kick three field goals Friday in the Bulls' 30-19 win over West Virginia. Two years ago, Schwartz sat in the USF student section when the Bulls knocked off the Mountaineers at Raymond James Stadium.

On Friday, he made kicks of 30, 44 and 26 yards to solidify his grip as USF's starting kicker.

"He's got the opportunity," Leavitt said. "Right now he's making the most of his opportunities. It's a pretty neat little story."

After Bonani suffered a season-ending back injury during a fall at Busch Gardens right before fall camp - Bonani has returned to practice, but Leavitt said Tuesday he has no plans to use him this season - Leavitt told Schwartz he could be like one of those stories you hear in the NFL where a kicker was pumping gas a week ago and making a game-winning kick the next.

"I never got looked at in high school at all," Schwartz said. "I had no one look at me, no recruiting at all."

What makes Schwartz's story even more intriguing is that prior to kicking a game-clinching field goal late in the fourth quarter of USF's 17-7 win at Florida State in September, he hadn't kicked in a game since 2005, his senior season at Hudson.

"It's exciting, having the opportunity to actually kick considering such a long layoff," said Schwartz, 22.

At times during his long layoff, Schwartz wondered if he would ever have a chance to kick again. He practiced on his own at a recreation center in Hudson while working part-time and taking classes at USF.

After his breakout performance Friday, Schwartz has now made six of nine field-goal attempts.

"The more opportunities I get, the more confident I get, the better I feel out there," Schwartz said. "It's a little different experience. I said (the wait) was all worth it when I made it in the spring."

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