Not all schools are willing to give a scholarship to special-teams players. So when Mick Ellis (Allen, Texas/Lovejoy) picked up an offer, he did not wait long to accept it.
Iowa offered Ellis, the No. 23 kicker nationally, last week, and the three-star specialist committed to the Hawkeyes on Monday before ever visiting the school.
“Everything I have seen online about the campus, the games, the team -- everything is what I have dreamed about since I was a kid,” Ellis said. “The coaches are great guys that I would love to not only learn about football from but also about becoming a man.”
Ellis will visit Iowa at the end of July, and he said he cannot wait to check out his future home.
As a junior, Ellis made 13 of 17 field goal attempts and converted each of his kicks from more than 40 yards out. He made field goals from 54 and 52 yards and two from 49 yards this past season. He also had 38 touchbacks on kickoffs.
Among the top 50 kickers nationally, Ellis is just the 16th kicker to be committed to a program.
“It’s a dream come true. I have worked hard for a long time to reach my potential,” he said. “People joke around about how kickers do nothing and don’t have to work, when in reality I spend a couple hours a day working on becoming the player I know I can be. To be paired up with coaches and a team that appreciates a specialist is pretty exciting.”
