photo by: Journal-World file photo

Junior kicker Tabor Allen kicks the ball during the Kansas Football Spring Preview at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

The position battle for KU’s placekicker is still going on, with senior Tabor Allen, redshirt junior Owen Piepergerdes and redshirt sophomore Charlie Weinrich all in the mix.

Piepergerdes saw the field in a few games last year, kicking six PATs and one field goal attempt, and in 2022, he made one field goal and converted on nine PATs. However, Allen is the kicker with the most games played, having handled kickoffs in every game the past three years.

Weinrich is the most unknown in the competition, as he hasn’t had any play time through his first two years in college football. After redshirting his freshman year at Nebraska, Weinrich transferred to KU but didn’t play in a game.

While coach Lance Leipold didn’t announce a winner of the position battle on Tuesday’s media day, he did announce that he’s happy with its progress, and that Allen and Weinrich are the two leaders for the job.

“We have three guys going for it, but Tabor Allen quietly continues to be more consistent,” Leipold said.

While Leipold did say that the job is for the most part between Allen and Weinrich, he praised Piepergerdes’s leg power, which is something that the team can turn to in certain situations, as they have done previously. Leipold also said that Allen would continue his duties as the kickoff specialist.

Even with Leipold saying that he’s happy with where the position battle is, he admitted that it’s an area of the team that the Jayhawks won’t quite know how it looks until the season starts. Kicking a long field goal in practice is one thing, but to do it as the clock expires late on the road for a much-needed win is another.

“You always worry about special teams early because it’s hard to simulate a lot of those live and early in the season,” Leipold said. “You have got to get to games sometimes to see those situations.”

Regardless of the position battle, Weinrich said that the special teams unit is in a good place and is looking for a fast start to the season. As for the competition he’s in, Weinrich feels good about where he and his teammates are at.

“It’s been fun competing with Owen and Tabor,” Weinrich said. “Every single day, waking up and trying to get better. Lately, I’ve been good, I’ve been hitting the ball really well. Hopefully I can take that into the season and start fast.”

Part of the success for whoever wins the placekicker job will be on Damon Greaves, the team’s Australian punter who picked up holding on kicks at the start of the year. In Tuesday’s media day, Leipold said that Greaves has done a good job of learning how to do it.

“He’s made himself a very good holder in the last six months or so,” Leipold said.

The first few games will show Leipold and the coaching staff a lot about the special teams unit. With such little returning game experience, the group is looking for a strong start to the season to help carry the unit through the year.