Meet the 2013 “TOP 12”

January 29, 2013 By

Chris Sailer Kicking – 2013 “TOP 12” Lists Announced

The 11th Annual National Kicking Event – Sponsored by Nike in Las Vegas, NV took pace January 19-20, 2013.  Nearly 500 specialists from across the nation and other countries participated in what is regarded by college coaches as the biggest exposure event in the world.  The best of the best from every state and other countries work year round for the opportunity to compete at the highest level in Las Vegas.  Making the “TOP 12” is the ultimate goal.

Before we announce this year’s “TOP 12”, take a look at the history of the “TOP 12” and one standout from each year since the Vegas camp was born in 2003 as the very first national exposure camp of its type.

2003 – Taylor Mehlhaff – Drafted in the 6th Round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints
2004 – Ryan Succop – Current Kansas City Chiefs Kicker (4 Year Starter)
2005 – Dan Bailey – Current Dallas Cowboys Kicker (2 Year Starter)
2006 – Kai Forbath – Current Washington Redskins Kicker
2007 – Bryan Anger – Current Jacksonville Jaguars Punter (Drafted int the 3rd Round)
2008 – Blair Walsh – Current Minnesota Vikings Kicker (NFL All-Pro as a Rookie)
2009 – Cody Parkey – Current Auburn Kicker.  Regarded as the #1 NFL Prospect coming into 2013 season
2010 – Andre Heidari – Current Kicker at USC.  Freshman All-American
2011 – Ross Martin – Current Duke Kicker.  Freshman All-American
2012 – Michael Geiger – Committed to Michigan State.  #1 Kicker in the Nation
2013 – ? (See Below)

2013 “TOP 12” Underclassmen (In Alphabetical Order)
Logan Cooke (2014 MS)
Corbin Daly (2014 NC)
Mick Ellis (2014 TX)
Rafael Gaglianone (2014 TN)
Cameron Gamble (2014 TX)
Freeman Jones (2014 NC)
Michael Knoll (2014 OH)
Hayden Lekacz (2014 IL)
Aaron Medley (2014 TN)
JK Scott (2014 CO)
Matt Stewart (2014 CA)
Gary Wunderlich (2014 TN)

2013 “TOP 12” Senior / Junior College / Transfer (In Alphabetical Order)
Joey Cejudo (JC CA)
Elliott Fry (2013 TX)
Andrew Gantz (2013 OH)
Diego Gonzales (2013 Mexico)
Ruben Guzman (JC CA)
Adrian Lamothe (2013 Mexico)
Nick Marsh (TR UT)
Manuel Meza (JC CA)
Nicholas O’Toole (JC CA)
Osborn Umeh (JC CA)
Cody Wicker (2013 TX)
Brent Zuzo (2013 MI)

What does the future hold for these talented athletes.  Where will they play in college?  Will they play in the NFL?  Time will tell.

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11th Annual National Kicking Camp; Snapping Event

December 23, 2012 By

On January 19th and 20th of 2013 the 11th Annual National Kicking & Snapping Event will be held at Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas. Participants should be sure to arrive on Friday, January 18, 2013 and plan to stay until Sunday night, January 20, 2013. This is a two day event that ecompasses kicking and punting camps, as well as long snapping camps and is offically called The Chris Sailer Kicking and Rubio Long Snapping January National Kicking and Snapping Event. This Vegas event can be attended by long snappers, place kickers and punter. You must compete in this event to give yourself a shot at the Top 12 Camp, which is a camp that can only be attended by people who are invited.

Whoever wins at this camp will get a chance to attend either the Rubio Long Snapping Camp or the Chris Sailor Kicking Camp at no charge. If someone is a punter, long snapper or place kicker, and is in at least the eighth grade, they can enter the competition. This camp event is designed for students who play football and want to play at a higher level than they are currently playing at. The first day of this event involves training on how to play football. On the second day, competitions are held and finalists are announced.

Event participants are responsible for performing all necessary stretching and warming up before event activities begin for the day. These kicking camps are a valuable experience for any student serious about playing football.

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Dan Bailey – The OT Clincher

December 20, 2012 By

Playing currently for the Dallas Cowboys, Chris Sailer trained kicker Dan Bailey is making people raise their eyebrows with his performance on the field. Signed up as a free agent last year, Bailey originally made his name playing college ball at Oklahoma State. Prior to that, local folks watched Bailey play in high school at Mustang High School in the same state. In those early years Bailey was awarded an all-state and conference ranking for his position as kicker, and he was also awarded all-city ranking as well. Bailey still holds his high school record of 50 yards for the longest scoring field goal.

Fast forward to current times, and Dallas has little complaint about their kicker pick with Bailey. He seems to have a knack for pulling teams through to a win when games go into overtime, which is the highest pressure situation for any kicker. San Francisco felt this impact when Bailey placed a 48 yard field goal against them in OT in 2011. This year, Bailey has pulled the same rabbit out of his hat three times against the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals, and the latest victim, the Pittsburg Steelers on December 16, 2012. All the effort has kept Dallas alive for the 2012 NFL Post Season play rather than an early Christmas dismissal.

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Dan Bailey Hits Game Winning Field Goal to Beat Bengals!

December 10, 2012 By

In an emotional filled game, due to the tragic loss of teammate Jerry Brown the day before, Chris Sailer Kicking Alum Dan Bailey hit a game winning 40 yd. field goal as time ran out to seal the victory for the Cowboys over the Bengals Sunday

Dan Bailey is a 2006 alum of Chris Sailer Kicking. He was a member of the Top 12 and assumed the starting place kicker role for Oklahoma State University in 2007 upon his graduation from kicking camp. After graduating from OSU, Bailey was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Dallas Cowboys in July 2011. Bailey’s first season with the Cowboys was stated to be one of the most successful kicking seasons by a rookie in both the Dallas Cowboys franchise history and NFL league history.

For the 2012 NFL season, Bailey is still at his best. His field goal stats are 100% for field goals attempted between 20 and 49 yards. While he’s only at 50% for field goals of more than 50 yards, his overall field goal average is 92%. While his first year was amazing and left little room for improvement in this area, he’s actually managed to improve by about 4%.

Bailey is an excellent player and an asset for the Cowboys and we will definitely see more good things from him in the future.

 

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