01/03/26: How Did We Get Here

For five years, I stood behind the uprights at practices, sat in the stands on Friday nights, and watched my son Trace grind through every step of his specialist journey. From the early days of learning how to strike a ball cleanly to the pressure‑filled moments of late‑game kicks, I saw a side of football most people never notice — the side lived by kickers, punters, and long snappers.

What I learned through that experience changed me.And it’s the reason Off the Uprights exists today.

Specialists are unique. They train differently, think differently, and carry pressure in ways few positions ever will. And yet, in high school football, they often go unnoticed unless something goes wrong or they’re suddenly needed at a critical moment. In recruiting, they’re a footnote. In the media, they’re an afterthought.

That has never sat right with me — and at times, it kept me up at night.

When Trace started football in 8th grade, I didn’t expect much in terms of usage or coaching. Sure, I hoped the team would attempt extra points instead of going for two every time, but at that age I would have simply enjoyed the kickoffs and punts.

When he reached high school, I thought, okay, now he’ll get his shot at PATs. Then he made varsity as a freshman, and I thought, this is it — PATs, field goals, all of it. But that’s not how it played out.

Freshman year, it was PATs and kickoffs only. He had to earn his coach’s trust — understandable, especially at a big 6A program. Sophomore year was similar for field goals, though he added punting.

The crazy part! Trace was a top‑10 kicker in the country, yet the special teams system simply didn’t resemble what college coaches look for in high school. If it was 4th and 8,on the 30, they were going for it — every time.

By his junior year, everything changed. His performances at showcases and college camps drew serious attention, colleges coming in for visits at school, and his coach was getting asked why they don’t kick more. His Coach pulled him aside one day and they talked about this kicking world. Never in his coaches’ career had he had schools coming in to recruit a kicker and ask about others. Typically, they would come in for other positions and ask if they are missing anyone in other positions. His coach dug more into special teams, and he began trusting Trace with more field goal opportunities. Trace delivered and he even hit a game winner. That success led to a huge junior‑to‑senior summer.

Showcases are emotional. They test confidence, patience, and resilience. Early on, he tried to do too much trying to obtain that #1 Ranking — then June arrived, and he was dialed in.

His first stop was OU, and we had 10 camps scheduled. OU went so well that he earned a full‑ride scholarship offer on the spot. We were blown away. More importantly, we finally felt at peace — this was the dream school.

We still went to Texas Tech next, where he crushed the drills in one‑on‑one training and earned another full‑ride offer. When we got home, we made a list, thought through everything, and waited for the remaining camps. But one morning, Trace woke up and said what we all already knew:

“It’s OU. It’s always been OU.”

We canceled the remaining camps.
We waited for his official visit.
We announced full commitment on June 20th.

That story will be its own post — there’s a lot to share there.

When Trace committed to OU, I expected the world to finally see what I had seen for years. But instead, media outlets released “stories” that weren’t stories at all — just stats, camp results, and a couple of lines pulled from social media. Nothing about who he was. Nothing about what he had overcome. Nothing about the actual context of his skills as a specialist.

Not because the media didn’t care — but because they don’t know how to evaluate specialists.
They can break down every other position in detail, but specialist skill sets rarely get real analysis, attention, or respect.

It irritated me.And I knew Trace wasn’t the only one.

I dug into the 2026 class to see what was being written about the other top specialists — and every article looked the same. A copy‑and‑paste of a camp result, a MaxPreps stat line, a height, a weight, and nothing more.

Across the country, specialists are working every day to perfect a craft built on precision, consistency, and mental toughness. They deserve more than a camp blurb. They deserve more than a stat sheet.

Specialists — and their families — deserve to have their story told.

This blog is where those stories begin.

Here, I’ll share insights from the specialist world.
The parts coaches see, the parts parents feel, and the parts athletes quietly fight through. You’ll read about journeys that don’t always make the headlines. You’ll hear from players, parents, coaches, and those who understand what it means to chase a dream that rarely comes with spotlight but always comes with pressure.

This is a site for the overlooked, the underappreciated, and the pressure‑tested.

Whether you're an athlete hoping to play at the next level, a parent supporting that dream, or a media member wanting to better understand the mindset of specialists, I’m glad you're here. Your presence helps elevate a community that deserves far more visibility.

Special teams may not always get the spotlight —
but the stories behind it are worth telling.

Welcome to Specialist Stories.
Welcome to Off the Uprights.
This is where the journey becomes more.