Special Teams U

Editor's note: This story appears in the Oct. 18 edition of the 2019 Syracuse football gameday program. Programs are available for $5 and sold throughout the Dome.

Redshirt senior punter Sterling Hofrichter says he wants Syracuse to be known as "Special Teams U." With him, redshirt sophomore kicker Andre Szmyt, sophomore snapper Aaron Bolinsky and redshirt junior holder Nolan Cooney working together, the Orange are well on their way to living up to that moniker.

Hofrichter and Szmyt have been noted as one of the top kicking duos in America, with both being named to the 2019 Preseason All-ACC Team, and Szmyt capturing the Lou Groza Award last year, an honor given to the best college placekicker in the nation.

The two push one another to be the best they can be.

"I know that Andre's job affects how good we are, and my job affects us in the same way," Hofrichter said.

Szmyt, the high school soccer player turned football star, followed former Syracuse Director of Player Personnel Dave Boller from Louisville to SU. Boller told Szmyt that Syracuse might be a better option for him. The Orange were looking for someone to back up senior Cole Murphy for a year and then compete for the starting job.

So Szmyt walked onto the team and redshirted the 2017 season. He was a backup in preseason camp last year, but emerged as the starter just one week before the 2018 opener at Western Michigan.

"We keep numbers on all our kickers, it's a mathematical thing, and his numbers were extremely high," Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said.

Szmyt rewarded Babers' faith in him and led the nation with an ACC-record 30 made field goals, including hitting all three tries from more than 50 yards. So far this season, Szmyt is 6-for-7 and he already holds the Syracuse career record for field-goal percentage at 87.8 percent (36-41).

"Andre has the most accurate leg I've ever seen," Babers said.

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Back in camp last summer, the Lou Groza Award wasn't even on Szmyt's radar. He was focused on getting on the field and taking advantage of every opportunity he could to show his talent. He concentrated on taking the season one kick at a time, one practice at a time, and one game at a time. He wasn't thinking about the big picture too much, and just let what needed to happen, happen, he said.

Szmyt, Hofrichter and Syracuse's other specialists spend a lot of time practicing on their own before joining the rest of the team to simulate what are often the most critical plays in games.

"We don't have a coach who's specifically coaching us how to kick," Szmyt said. "So when we go into the [team] period it's really important that we perform well. When we're out practicing with each other, we hold each other accountable, so that when it does come time for us to get together with the team, we perform to the best of our ability and do what we're supposed to do."

Off the field as roommates, Hofrichter and Szmyt are more different than one might expect. Hofrichter, the older of the pair, is more reserved. While he is happy to "stay inside and chill" most days, Andre is "always trying to get up and go do something." Still, the two spend plenty of time together, sometimes just hanging out, sometimes going out for a round of golf.

Those differences carry over to the field, as well. Hofrichter, not a very vocal guy, tries to lead by example. Although on the quiet side, people notice him in that respect. An All-ACC First Team selection last year, Hofrichter led the conference with 26 punts inside the 20-yard line.

As one of the older and more experienced members of the Orange, he tries to help younger players, especially those new to the program, learn through his experience of what it takes to play at this level. It's a completely different ball game in college compared to high school, Hofrichter said.

Szmyt is one of those younger players who has learned a lot from his veteran counterpart. Before the Western Michigan game last year, Szmyt was admittedly nervous. But seeing Hofrichter's calm approach to practice, and not getting "freaked out" about the team period they have coming up, helped Szmyt relax.

A Florida native, Hofrichter's laid back demeanor is evident. Going out for a critical punt, extra point, or field goal, as he did earlier this year versus Holy Cross, Hofrichter doesn't let the pressure get to him. His focus in those moments is simply to put the team in the best position to win, he said, whether it's a deep kickoff to give the opponent a long field, or sending a high directional punt where the other team can't generate a return.

Hofrichter tries not to think about how challenging the task is. He just does it.

This season, Hofrichter has worked at hanging the ball in the air as long as he can to eliminate return opportunities, and putting the opposition inside the 20-yard line as often as possible. He's succeeded at both with flying colors.

Through six games, Syracuse ranks second in the nation in net punting with a 45.2-yard average. Only seven of his punts have been returned for a total of 12 yards, including a long return of just five yards. Hofrichter has also put an ACC-best 18 of his 37 punts inside the 20.

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Szmyt, the more outgoing of the two, thrives under pressure, an excellent trait for a placekicker to have. Little do opposing fans know that if they're booing Szmyt, they're really giving him extra motivation.

"I like pressure," Szmyt said. "So when I'm out there it gives me more confidence."

Szmyt remembers last season's game at Pitt, when score was tied with two minutes left, and it was up to him to make a 54-yard field goal to take the lead. He drilled it.

But Szmyt's felt some heat in practice, too. Being barked at by players and staff while lining up kicks when he was a backup were some of the most pressure-packed experiences of his career, he said. He had a lot to prove, and he knew he needed to perform in front of the coaches if he wanted the starting job.

They key, Szmyt says, is confidence.

"When I'm out there, I know I'm going to make the kick and that's the only thing that's going through my head," he said. "It's just like any other kick I've had in practice, the thousand kicks I've had in the offseason, and last season.

"I have one job and that's to put the ball through the uprights."

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Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Aaron Bolinsky

Nolan Cooney

Sterling Hofrichter

Cole Murphy

Andre Szmyt

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