2026 Rankings: Kickin' It!

Today, I will be diving into the 2026 rankings and highlighting an overlooked position. Kickers are taken for granted, with the audience assuming they will be automatic. However; if they miss a field goal or extra point, everyone knows who they are. We have a lot of kickers to go over, and if you've got a special teams kick then this is your article.    Burns is a quad-sport athlete, playing football, soccer, baseball, and basketball. He has very good athletic ability and it shows with all the sports he pays. Measuring in at 6'1, he had 45 kickoffs, with 33 of them being touchbacks. As a punter, he had 31 punts for 1104, average of 35.6, and it landed inside the 20, 8 times. 45 kicking points. 28/31 on PATs, and 5/9 on field goals with his longest being 51 yards. Burns has elite kick power and very good kick accuracy. It's rare for a high school kicker to be launching the ball 50+ feet downfield and making the field goal in a game setting. He's an exciting prospect, that will land at a college due to his athletic ability and excelling at multiple sports.     A 3-sport athlete, Manthey plays soccer and baseball along with football. Manthey was used as a field goal kicker, and knocked it out of the park. Going 35/35 on PATs, and 11/15 on FGs, with his longest being 46 yards. I am very impressed with Manthey's very good kick power and very good accuracy. If the game is in a kicker's hands, Manthey is your guy.     Hart had 35 kickoffs for 1799 yards with an average of 51.4 yards per kick. His longest was 61 yards. He had 44 kicking points over the season. Hart went 23/26 on PATs, and 7/9 on field goals with his longest being 44 yards. Hart has very good kick accuracy and very good kick power. He's able to launch the ball downfield with ease. Under pressure situations, he stays poised and makes the big kick. Exciting young kicker.     Hansen had a nice outing for Holy Family. The 5'9 160-pound kicker had 52 kickoffs for 3085 yards with an average of 59.3 per kick. Longest was 70 yards and he had 29 touchbacks. 61 total kicking points. 43/46 on PATs, and 6/6 on field goals with his longest being 30. He has very good kick accuracy and is a sure-fire thing within the 30. Hansen's consistency helped his team throughout the year, as they didn't have to worry about blatant missed kicks or other weird special team problems. Great job from the young kicker.     Pfeifer is another tri-sport athlete playing basketball and baseball with football. He was a crucial cog in achieving a deep playoff run for Ralston Valley. He measures in at 6'2 192 pounds. Used on kickoffs and field goals. 49 kickoffs for 2953 yards with an average of 60.3 yards per kick. He had 31 touchbacks. 62 total kicking points. 32/32 on PATs, and 10/14 on field goals. His longest was 49 yards. Pfeifer has elite kick power, and launches it downfield with ease. Very good kick accuracy. Pfeifer is a clutch kicker who I can see getting some extra looks from colleges.     Another dual-sport athlete, Balch dips his toes in baseball while he's a dominant kicker for Roosevelt. The 5'9 155-pound junior had 46 kickoffs for 2124 yards average 46.2 yards per kick with 10 touchbacks. He had 43 kicking points. 28/30 on PAT, and 5/5 on field goals with his longest being 40. Balch uses his very good kick power and kick accuracy to stay consistent for his team. He's a clutch kicker, making important crucial game winning kicks. His poise impresses me, and I'm excited to see how he builds upon his impressive junior season.     Montero has been a name to know in Colorado for a while. The big legged kicker, had 28 kick offs for 1228 yards, averaging 43.9 yards per kickoff. He had 9 touchbacks. 35 kicking points. He went 20/22 on PATs, and 5/8 on field goals with his longest being 42 yards. Montero has very good kick power and good kick accuracy. He was a consistent point producer all year for his team.     Beauregard only played kicker this past season, measuring in at 5'11 140-pounds. He had 23 kickoffs for 862 yards with an average of 37.5 yards per kick and 13 touchbacks. Beauregard had 42 total kicking points. 36/38 on PATs, and 2/6 on field goals with his longest being 44. He has good kick power and solid kick accuracy. He's automatic during PATs. More consistency from field goals will boost up his stock! Excited to see how he does next season.     Mathews is a dual-sport athlete playing both soccer and football. Measuring in at 6'0 155-pounds, Mathews had 36 kickoffs for 1707 yards and 14 touchbacks. Averaging 47.4 yards per kick. 66 total kicking points. He went 54/56 on PATs, and 4/6 on field goals with his longest being 37 yards. Once Pueblo-West scored a TD, you knew Mathews would get the PAT. His consistency spoke volumes all throughout the year, and he stayed poised not letting his team down. Good kick power, very good kick accuracy. I'm very impressed with the volume of his PATs and how many he completed. Keep an eye out for Mathews.

Today, I will be diving into the 2026 rankings and highlighting an overlooked position. Kickers are taken for granted, with the audience assuming they will be automatic. However; if they miss a field goal or extra point, everyone knows who they are. We have a lot of kickers to go over, and if you've got a special teams kick then this is your article.