Connor Ferguson ranked as No. 1 kicker in Georgia
The standout Cadet kicker/punter is focused on his craft and his ability to be a game changer despite his 5-foot-9, 150-pound stature in a sport known for its hard-hitting, violent nature. On Friday night, midway through the third quarter against visiting Burke County, Benedictine Coach Danny Britt called on Ferguson, and No. 94 entered the fray. The senior didn't waver from his routine as he lined up for his approach and came in with a smooth, calculated leg swing ― lifting the ball up and through the left side of the uprights for a career-long 50-yard field goal as the Cadets went on to win their first game of the season, 43-14.
It was the latest in a long line of big time plays for Ferguson, who is ranked No. 1 in Georgia and No. 7 in the nation in the Kohl's National Kicker Rankings. He is 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts this season, with another blast from 48 yards in a season-opening loss to Rabun County, while converting all 11 of his PAT tries. He has forced touchbacks on 11 of his 17 kickoffs, while averaging 44 yards with his high-flying, booming punts.
Ferguson started out as a soccer player, but as a fifth grader, the Richmond Hill resident tried kicking a field goal on a whim, and he was hooked. He has focused on football ever since. "I just wanted to see how well I could do it, and I was pretty automatic from 25 yards out, and I just fell in love with it right then," Ferguson said. "Now I'm on the sidelines watching the game closely. If we're on offense on our end of the field, I'll go the net and get some punt drops in. And once we get into scoring position, I'll work on my kicks. It's a tough game on the field, and I keep my head on a swivel. But I'm pretty peaceful on the sideline, I try to keep my mindset and focus on the job I need to do to help the team."
Ferguson is a team-first type of guy and is quick to credit his long snapper, John Lilly, and holder Robert Leonard, for their contributions. "On that 50-yarder, it was the perfect snap by John and the perfect hold by Robert," said Ferguson, who has hit a 60-yard field goal in practice. "It felt real good when I kicked it, but there were players all around me and I couldn't really see the ball until I heard the crowd screaming and saw it hit the net."
Benedictine has a punting/kicking coach in Pat Parker, a Cadet alum from the class of 1983 who walked on at Georgia Southern as a punter as a was a part of two national championship teams under Erk Russell. He said his expertise comes in the punting game, and although Ferguson is a placekicker at heart, he has become an excellent punter. "Connor is just a super kid and he's very dedicated to his craft of kicking," Parker said. "On our sideline, coaches are motivating players in different ways, sometimes they have to get loud. But I think it's best that Connor stays calm, so I encourage him to focus and slow things down. He's a yes-sir, no-sir type of guy and a pure joy to coach."
When it comes to placekicking, Ferguson is coached by local kicking guru Patrick Means, the former Richmond Hill assistant coach who is now an assistant principal at the school while working with individual kickers from throughout the Coastal Empire. Means was a standout in his high school days at Pelham High in Alabama, known as a hotbed for kickers and punters. He walked on at Ole Miss, where he was a backup to Lou Groza Award winner Jonathan Nichols and later transferred to Auburn, where he backed up John Vaughn, a Groza Award finalist. He has coached a number of talented local kickers including Wildcat alums Canon Rooker, who played at Middle Tennessee State, Joseph Petrino, who kicked at Maryland, and Britton Williams, now at Kennesaw State, as well as former Savannah Country Day standout Colton Lichtenberg, who played for Boston College. He said Ferguson is one of the best he's coached. "Connor has a little body, but he gets the most out of it because he is so smooth and has such a repeatable delivery," said Means, 40. "It's like in a golf swing, when you try to do the same thing every time and finish properly ― and Connor has worked hard to perfect that approach.
"He's a weapon with his field goals, punts and on his kickoffs. He has a hang time of 4.1 seconds and can blast it out of the end zone for a touchback, or hang it up high to let the coverage get there ― he has both those clubs in his bag. He's can flip the field every time on his kickoffs and has a range on his field goals of up to 60 yards."
Ferguson has offers from Valdosta State, Arkansas State and Murray State, but Means said he has the potential to be a Power-Five player. "With the way the transfer portal is today, kickers at Group of Five programs are transferring to Power Five schools every year ― it just happened with the Miami of Ohio kicker (Graham Nicholson) going to Alabama," Means said. "There are only like six or seven kickers that get Power Five scholarships each year, and I think Connor can be one of those guys. But if he isn't I think he'll get his chance because he's also such a great punter. He has the ability to kick at that level and I've seen his confidence growing with every game he plays."
Ferguson suffered a fractured fibula during the offseason but said the setback was a blessing in disguise as Britt got him into the weight room, where he worked to develop better leg strength. Britt said his best friend and roommate in his college playing days at Georgia Southern was Reed Haley, an All-American kicker, so he knows what the specialists mean to their teams. "Reed and I are still great friends, we sat together Saturday for the Georgia Southern/Boise State game," Britt said. "So I have a lot of respect for kickers. My personality on the sideline with all the yelling and screaming is probably not good for kickers, but Connor's older sister was a cheerleader here and has been around the program for so long ― I think he's used to my style.
"He's not a big guy, but he's gotten a lot stronger and he's got great power in his hips and legs. The ball just pops off his foot," Britt said. "He's a huge difference maker for us, without a doubt."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News.
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It was the latest in a long line of big time plays for Ferguson, who is ranked No. 1 in Georgia and No. 7 in the nation in the Kohl's National Kicker Rankings. He is 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts this season, with another blast from 48 yards in a season-opening loss to Rabun County, while converting all 11 of his PAT tries. He has forced touchbacks on 11 of his 17 kickoffs, while averaging 44 yards with his high-flying, booming punts.
Ferguson started out as a soccer player, but as a fifth grader, the Richmond Hill resident tried kicking a field goal on a whim, and he was hooked. He has focused on football ever since. "I just wanted to see how well I could do it, and I was pretty automatic from 25 yards out, and I just fell in love with it right then," Ferguson said. "Now I'm on the sidelines watching the game closely. If we're on offense on our end of the field, I'll go the net and get some punt drops in. And once we get into scoring position, I'll work on my kicks. It's a tough game on the field, and I keep my head on a swivel. But I'm pretty peaceful on the sideline, I try to keep my mindset and focus on the job I need to do to help the team."
Ferguson is a team-first type of guy and is quick to credit his long snapper, John Lilly, and holder Robert Leonard, for their contributions. "On that 50-yarder, it was the perfect snap by John and the perfect hold by Robert," said Ferguson, who has hit a 60-yard field goal in practice. "It felt real good when I kicked it, but there were players all around me and I couldn't really see the ball until I heard the crowd screaming and saw it hit the net."
Benedictine has a punting/kicking coach in Pat Parker, a Cadet alum from the class of 1983 who walked on at Georgia Southern as a punter as a was a part of two national championship teams under Erk Russell. He said his expertise comes in the punting game, and although Ferguson is a placekicker at heart, he has become an excellent punter. "Connor is just a super kid and he's very dedicated to his craft of kicking," Parker said. "On our sideline, coaches are motivating players in different ways, sometimes they have to get loud. But I think it's best that Connor stays calm, so I encourage him to focus and slow things down. He's a yes-sir, no-sir type of guy and a pure joy to coach."
When it comes to placekicking, Ferguson is coached by local kicking guru Patrick Means, the former Richmond Hill assistant coach who is now an assistant principal at the school while working with individual kickers from throughout the Coastal Empire. Means was a standout in his high school days at Pelham High in Alabama, known as a hotbed for kickers and punters. He walked on at Ole Miss, where he was a backup to Lou Groza Award winner Jonathan Nichols and later transferred to Auburn, where he backed up John Vaughn, a Groza Award finalist. He has coached a number of talented local kickers including Wildcat alums Canon Rooker, who played at Middle Tennessee State, Joseph Petrino, who kicked at Maryland, and Britton Williams, now at Kennesaw State, as well as former Savannah Country Day standout Colton Lichtenberg, who played for Boston College. He said Ferguson is one of the best he's coached. "Connor has a little body, but he gets the most out of it because he is so smooth and has such a repeatable delivery," said Means, 40. "It's like in a golf swing, when you try to do the same thing every time and finish properly ― and Connor has worked hard to perfect that approach.
"He's a weapon with his field goals, punts and on his kickoffs. He has a hang time of 4.1 seconds and can blast it out of the end zone for a touchback, or hang it up high to let the coverage get there ― he has both those clubs in his bag. He's can flip the field every time on his kickoffs and has a range on his field goals of up to 60 yards."
Ferguson has offers from Valdosta State, Arkansas State and Murray State, but Means said he has the potential to be a Power-Five player. "With the way the transfer portal is today, kickers at Group of Five programs are transferring to Power Five schools every year ― it just happened with the Miami of Ohio kicker (Graham Nicholson) going to Alabama," Means said. "There are only like six or seven kickers that get Power Five scholarships each year, and I think Connor can be one of those guys. But if he isn't I think he'll get his chance because he's also such a great punter. He has the ability to kick at that level and I've seen his confidence growing with every game he plays."
Ferguson suffered a fractured fibula during the offseason but said the setback was a blessing in disguise as Britt got him into the weight room, where he worked to develop better leg strength. Britt said his best friend and roommate in his college playing days at Georgia Southern was Reed Haley, an All-American kicker, so he knows what the specialists mean to their teams. "Reed and I are still great friends, we sat together Saturday for the Georgia Southern/Boise State game," Britt said. "So I have a lot of respect for kickers. My personality on the sideline with all the yelling and screaming is probably not good for kickers, but Connor's older sister was a cheerleader here and has been around the program for so long ― I think he's used to my style.
"He's not a big guy, but he's gotten a lot stronger and he's got great power in his hips and legs. The ball just pops off his foot," Britt said. "He's a huge difference maker for us, without a doubt."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News.
