“We created a culture through our special teams of what it takes to be successful,” Fedora said. “And it’s very, very important to us.”
In 2015, senior placekicker Nick Weiler converted all 67 of his extra points and 20 of 23 field goals — good enough to put him on the 2016 preseason Lou Groza Award Watch List.
Over the summer, Weiler tried to hone his accuracy by picking up a new hobby.
“I read an article last year about (NFL kicker) Adam Vinatieri, and apparently that narrow focus he gets when he’s shooting during archery really helps him since it’s similar to kicking,” Weiler said. “So I picked up a bow and just started doing target practice in the backyard.”
While Weiler has stabilized the kicking game, the punting game remains a mystery. None of the three punters that UNC used a season ago emerged as the go-to guy. The punting inconsistencies led Fedora to put a call in to Prokick Australia to see if he could find a punter from down under.
Now, 27-year-old first-year Australian Tom Sheldon is battling with senior Joey Mangili for the starting punting job.
“It was just a few phone calls and hoping that when he got here I wasn’t going to get catfished,” Fedora said. “It was basically over the Internet and over the telephone. I never saw Tom in person, so I was hoping when he got here that he really was a real person that could punt the ball.”
The challenge for Sheldon will be adjusting to the rules of American football after thriving in Australian rules football.
