Seibert Not Your Typical Freshman

For freshman Austin Seibert, the journey to Owen Field started just like many others', playing in the back yard with his father. Before each of his pee wee football games, Seibert and his dad would head out behind their house and get in a few practice kicks. Austin always did his best to accomplish one goal: kick it over the tree.

“I started out playing soccer at the age of 5. At the age of 8 I started playing football,” Seibert said. “I played different positions like quarterback, fullback, defensive end, things like that and they always needed a kicker. I started kicking and I loved it. Before each pee wee game my dad and I would practice kicking over a tree. That is really how it started and progressed to what it is now.”

And progress it did. All the way from his back yard in Belleville, Ill., to a patch of grass just a little bit bigger and little bit grander – Owen Field.

Seibert's career is off to the best start a Sooner kicker has ever turned in. After becoming the first true freshman in school history to start a season at both kicker and punter, Seibert has made his first eight collegiate field goal attempts, breaking the program's freshman record of seven previously held by Michael Hunnicutt. Seibert is certainly making the most of his opportunity so far. An opportunity he started earning years before he stepped foot in Norman.

Seibert has made his first eight collegiate field goal attempts, breaking the program record of seven previously held by Michael Hunnicutt.

“After my eighth-grade year, and going into high school, I wanted to be the first freshman kicker and punter to start on varsity,” Seibert said. “I had that opportunity and it happened. I played soccer at the time and I was big into both. Some things happened with soccer so I dropped it and stuck with football. It turned out well.”

His high school career was not all smooth sailing, however. Always interested in multiple sports, Seibert also played basketball and during his freshman year suffered an injury that threatened his entire athletics career.

“It was freshman year and in our last regular season game I went up for a rebound,” Seibert said. “I came down and my shin had snapped off my knee cap. My shin was over here and my knee cap was over here. It was pretty bad.

“It was scary,” Seibert continued. “I remember laying on the court and freaking out and yelling. My dad came down on the court and he started freaking out a little bit. Out of all people, my grandpa came down and said, 'Yeah, it's broke.' It was very nerve-racking.”

The compound fracture could have derailed his entire career, but Seibert got right to work rehabbing.

“I just started going through therapy,” Seibert said. “I went four to five times a week and did the exercises on my own. I tried to get back to where I was as quickly as possible so I could start doing normal things to get my strength and regular motion back.”

OU special teams coach Jay Boulware said, “It's a unique deal to have done that. My understanding is that he retrained himself to be a kicker at that point. Everything he was doing was to build his leg up to be a kicker. It kind of helped him, so thank God. Everything happens for a reason.”

Seibert not only got back to kicking, but also returned to the hardwood the next year, a sign of the fearless grit that serves him so well.

As his high school career progressed, Seibert started to get some attention in recruiting circles. Still, he was unsure if he would land a Division 1 offer.

“I never did think I would get a D1 scholarship,” Seibert said. “I just kept doing my thing, and my parents and everyone told me that good things would happen with hard work. I just worked as hard as I could and good things happened. I'm glad I did that.”

One of those good things was an OU junior day camp. During his junior year, and without and OU offer, Seibert headed to Norman to participate in the camp. The experience would be a benefit to both Seibert and the Sooners.

“I didn't even know about OU until Coach Boulware messaged me,” Seibert said. “I started looking into it and there is great tradition here. I visited other schools, and I came down here for the junior day. I loved it.”

Seibert's performance at the camp was enough to solidify the Sooners' interest, and his time in Norman had Seibert convinced that Oklahoma was the place he wanted to be.

“That kind of put more initiative in me to get that offer,” Seibert said. “Coach Boulware told me that it was between me and a couple other kickers. I ended up getting the offer. Two weeks later we came down so I could show my dad and my brother where I was going to play. I left and I gave Coach Stoops a call and told him I wanted to play here.”

By the time his senior year was up, Seibert was rated as the No. 1 high school kicker in the nation. He had a five-star rating from Kohl's Kicking Camps and had even gained Internet fame thanks to a viral video of him drilling a 70-yard field goal.

But the transition from high school to college is a tough one. There are class schedules to juggle and adjustments to being away from home. And that is to say nothing about the changes on the field.

Through all that, Seibert found himself locked in a closely contested battle for not just one starting position, but two. Just like in high school, he would have the opportunity to become the first freshman to start at both kicker and punter.

“I have never been in a battle that heavy,” Seibert said. “Nick Hodgson really pushed me on field goals and I really pushed him as well. I think we both got better during that. Jack Steed is a great punter, so he pushed me to hit that A-ball every time. That was a close battle as well and I have nothing but respect for those two. We are there to support each other.”

Both contests carried on through the summer and into fall camp, but Seibert emerged victorious in both.

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Seibert's confidence has key to his early success as a Sooner, and it's paid dividends with an 8-for-8 mark on field goals, and 18 of 28 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Simply earning the starting job was not the end of the battle, however. Kicking is a job that must be earned week in and week out. A quick look at NFL rosters will tell you that a missed field goal or two in the wrong situation can have a kicker looking for work. It's enough to give even a veteran a serious case of butterflies.

“I guess any freshman would be nervous,” Seibert said. “I just get on the bus and put my ear buds on. What brings me back to earth is getting off the bus and seeing all the fans out on the street holding up their fingers and stuff. I really just say my prayers and go out there and kick it.”

Playing in his first collegiate game, Seibert drilled a pair of field goals and averaged just under 50 yards on six punts against Akron.

“I'm glad my first kick was a punt,” Seibert said. “That got the nerves out of me and then I could just stick to it and try to help my team win every time I was on the field. I get fired up during games. I am a huge competitor so I just want to beat out the other team's kicker and punter in the field-position battle and points battle every game.”

That competitive nature has served Seibert and the Sooners well, and perhaps it is a reflection of the coach that recruited him in the first place. Boulware doesn't treat his kickers any differently than any other player. They are simply football players.

“He really gets the most out of you,” Seibert said of his position coach. “He doesn't sugar coat anything. He'll give you a kick in the butt when you need one, and gets you going. He treats me with respect and I am a part of the team.”

To go along with his perfect 8-for-8 mark on field goals, Seibert has made all 23 point-after attempts is also averaging 43.8 yards on 28 total punts. Just six of those punts have been returned for a total of only nine yards, and 13 of them have been downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Only one has been a touchback.

He was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the 44-24 win over West Virginia to start October, nailing three field goals and averaging 43.4 yards on five punts. Three punts were downed inside the 20 and two went for more than 50 yards.

Boulware attributes Seibert's early success to his confidence and competitive drive.

"What brings me back to earth is getting off the bus and seeing all the fans out on the street holding up their fingers and stuff."
- Seibert

“It is his mentality,” Boulware said. “He is not like a kicker or a punter or a specialist. He is one of the guys. He is a great kid. He has the mentality of an outside linebacker or a defensive end or whomever. That is what makes him great.”

Seibert's competitive fire is a perfect match for the coach who recruited him in the first place.

“He (Boulware) really gets the most out of you,” Seibert said. “He doesn't sugar coat anything. He'll give you a kick in the butt when you need one, and gets you going. He treats me with respect and I am a part of the team.”

Still, for a true freshman, every game and every kick is a learning experience.

“(I'm) getting used to the fact that every kick matters,” Seibert said. “Getting used to playing in front of a lot of people. That was an eye opener in the first game and at Tennessee.”

Seibert is still in the infancy of his career, but he demonstrates the maturity and perspective of a fifth-year senior. He's taking it one game at a time and savoring every second of it.

“It has been breathtaking,” he said. “I would have been happy to just play this year, but I won both jobs. I don't want to let anyone down with that. I just want to keep improving. It is awesome. It is so cool to play in front of 85,000 and to go to Tennessee. All the memories that I am going to make here are going to be great stories to tell.”