Tyler Loop didn’t miss a kick last season. He went 12 for 12 on extra points and 12 for 12 on field goals.
Loop didn’t make every kick during spring practice, and he didn’t handle it well. So dealing with failure became a primary focus during the offseason for the third-year Arizona Wildcat.
“I was a little bit of a headcase in the spring,” Loop said Thursday. “I’d miss a kick, and I’d trip out a little bit. That was something that he (special-teams coach Jordan Paopao) kept telling me: ‘Hey, we gotta work on this. I know you haven’t missed in a game, but this is still an area you gotta keep up.’
“So this summer I spent a lot of time with our sports psychology team, working on seeing a kick objectively. Like, ‘Hey, I made it or I missed it, but I got a next kick. I gotta go.’
“One thing we talk about big time right now is, ‘Play the next play.’ Keeping that on the forefront of my mind has really helped.”
Expectations are high for Loop as he heads into his third season. The kicking job is all his after he shared it with Lucas Havrisik last year. Loop made the watch list for the Lou Groza Award, among other preseason accolades.
Loop knows that he’s bound to miss a kick in a game at some point. How he approaches the next one will be the true test.
“I was always super emotionally invested, played with a ton of passion growing up, and still do,” Loop said. “Now it’s all about, ‘How do you keep that passion without letting it affect the next thing?’ So that’s what I’ve had to get a lot better at. We’ve seen big improvements there.”
Loop wasn’t interested in playing football as a youth, going so far as to say he “hated” the sport. But Loop is from Lucas, Texas, about 35 miles northeast of Dallas. Football is a way of life there.
So when Loop was in seventh grade, his father, Steve, persuaded him to try kicking. Tyler had displayed a strong leg in soccer.
“I didn’t like football,” Loop said. “I started kicking, and I fell in love with it.”
Loop came to Arizona in 2020 as one of the nation’s highest-ranked kickers. He spent that season as the Wildcats’ primary punter, averaging 43.0 yards per punt. Last year he served as Arizona’s short-range placekicker; his longest attempt came from 42 yards.
Loop has plenty of leg to make field goals from beyond that distance; during practice Thursday, he nailed a 41-yarder, and the ball landed on the roof of the Ginny L. Clements Academic Center beyond the north end zone. But Loop doesn’t prioritize power. That approach aligns with the entire special-teams unit’s daily mantra: “Quality over quantity.”
“The most important thing is high-percentage field goals, 45 yards and in,” Loop said. “Those are what’s most important for the team. That’s what we practice the most.”
Ostendorp’s ‘next step’
Two years ago, Loop was competing with Kyle Ostendorp for the punting job. Now they’re working side by side.
Ostendorp became Arizona’s punter last season, and he had a breakout campaign, setting a UA record for punting average (49.2 yards) and earning first-team All-Pac-12 recognition. This year Ostendorp is serving as Loop’s holder.
“Ever since he has been here,” said Ostendorp, a fourth-year junior, “we’ve always just been pushing each other and making each other better.”
Loop said he and Ostendorp went from competitors on the field to “brothers” off it. Loop has complete trust in his new holder, as well as longtime snapper Seth MacKellar.
The punting operation wasn’t as smooth as the placekicking last season. The Wildcats had four punts blocked.
Paopao, in his first season as the full-time special teams coach, has changed the protection scheme, going from a two-player wall to the more standard three-man version. He also has pushed Ostendorp to improve his football IQ so he’s ready for any situation.
“He’s very physically talented,” Paopao said. “He does a great job getting the ball in the sweet spot and being able to carry the ball down the field. But really growing his knowledge of protections and when his operation needs to speed up in terms of rush looks and when he can hold it to help our gunners get downfield ... that’s where you’re gonna see the next step.”
Ostendorp has received multiple preseason plaudits, from All-Pac-12 to All-American. He finds the attention flattering but ultimately inconsequential.
“It’s a testament to all the hard work I’ve put in since I was little, but it’s preseason,” Ostendorp said. “The awards really don’t mean anything.
“I’m trying to attack each day with better focus, better technique, better repetition. I don’t really care about preseason (recognition). Like, it’s cool, don’t get me wrong. But I’m trying to help my team out — go out and win some games.”
Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura runs through a drill during Thursday's practice. De Laura returned after missing Wednesday's practice for unexplained reasons.
De Laura back, Cowing progressing
Starting quarterback Jayden de Laura returned to practice after an unexplained absence Wednesday. De Laura took his usual allotment of reps with the first-team offense.
Receiver Jacob Cowing, who’s been out since Saturday, briefly appeared at the Dick Tomey Practice Fields. He then spent time running along the sideline and conferring with a trainer.
Dorian Singer, who’s had a ton of targets while Cowing has been out, concluded the final 11-on-11 period with a 6-yard touchdown on a slant pass from de Laura fired between two defenders.
Extra points
Freshman receiver Tetairoa McMillan had one of his best practices of camp, mostly at the expense of fellow freshman Ephesians Prysock. In one-on-ones, McMillan made a Randy Moss-like grab, reaching over Prysock’s back to snag the ball. In 11-on-11, McMillan caught the ball on a comeback route despite Prysock interfering with him and getting flagged for it.
Aside from getting beaten on a sweet double move by Singer in one-on-ones, veteran cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace had another strong day. Roland-Wallace forced a fumble during 11-on-11 play and played a deep ball for Singer perfectly, forcing him to the sideline and leaving him no room to maneuver.
Defensive tackle Kyon Barrs, who’s been on a snap count throughout camp, participated in team periods. Freshman DT Jacob Kongaika did as well with a wrap on the hand he hurt Saturday.
Receiver AJ Jones and edge rusher Jeremy Mercier practiced with red, no-contact jerseys.
Players who did not participate included tailbacks Jalen John and D.J. Williams; defensive tackles Tiaoalii Savea and Dion Wilson Jr.; and cornerbacks Treydan Stukes, Isaiah Rutherford and Isaiah Mays.
Three UA newcomers — McMillan, Savea and freshman guard Jonah Savaiinaea — made the initial watch list for the 2022 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. McMillan and Savaiinaea also were named to 247Sports’ Preseason True Freshman All-American Team.
Several players have stood out on special teams, Paopao said, including Nazar Bombata, DJ Warnell, Anthony Simpson, Dalton Johnson, Isaiah Taylor, Anthony Solomon and Ammon Allen. Warnell is vying to succeed Stanley Berryhill III as Arizona’s No. 1 punt gunner. “You can’t ever replace a Stanley Berryhill,” Paopao said. “But a lot of guys have that tape and they see what it looks like.”
The Wildcats have one more practice, on Friday morning, before conducting a mock game Saturday night at Arizona Stadium. The mock game — scheduled to start at 6:30, weather permitting — is open to the public.
