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2 players still battling for Michigan football’s starting kicker, punter positions

Jim Harbaugh: Quinn Nordin, Jake Moody, Will Hart, Brad Robbins will all play

Michigan kicker Quinn Nordin (Leon Halip/Getty Images)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football’s starting kicker and punter both returned for another season, but Jim Harbaugh said they’re still battling for starting spots heading into the opener.

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Quinn Nordin was Michigan’s starting placekicker in 2019, making 10 of 13 field goal attempts, including a long of 57 yards.

Nordin won back the job after a bit of a rocky 2018, when he missed five of 16 attempts. He converted 19 of 24 tries as a redshirt freshman in 2017.

When Nordin hit a rough patch in 2018, Moody stepped in as a true freshman and made 10 of 11 tries, including two high-stakes attempts at Ohio State.

Last year, he made six of nine field goals, but was the clear backup to Nordin by the end of the season. He still handled all kickoff duties for the Wolverines.

“(Nordin)'s in a real competitive battle with (Jake) Moody, who’s also doing a really good job, so it’s still playing out,” Harbaugh said. "Both are really good.

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In 2018, Will Hart was named the top punter in the Big Ten and a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the best punter in college football.

Last year, he averaged a solid 44.2 yards per punt, including 15 of at least 50 yards and 11 inside the 20-yard line.

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Brad Robbins only appeared in two games last season, but he was an All-Big Ten honorable mention as a true freshman in 2017 and landed 19 punts inside the 20-yard line that year.

Harbaugh said both the kicker and punter positions are still up in the air.

“We also have two really good punters: Brad Robbins and William Hart. ... I feel the talent is really good, and I think they’ll all eventually see action, but those are really tight battles.”


About the Author
Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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