12d ago football Edit

Spring Ball Q&A with Rutgers Football kicker Jai Patel

Chase Jacoby

Rutgers.Rivals.com

Rutgers Football's starting kicker Jai Patel spoke with the media following practice recently about his second season as the starter, competition for the kickoff duties and much more.

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Question: Jai you set the program record for the most accurate physical kicking season, the program history, obviously, having some time to reflect what was last season like for you, just what does it mean for you to get that space in the history books?

Jai Patel: “Definitely a great honor to be able to set the record books, but, we kind of move on from that, and just get ready for next season, just build on that, get all the experience I had gained from last year and just be able to have a better season for the team and continue to produce”.

Q: Just your general outlook for the kicking game this season. What, what are you looking forward to this season?

JP: “Just building a close relationship with these guys, we got a new snapper in Austin, we've welcomed him pretty well to the team. And, we've had some pieces moving around this spring ball, but just building the better chemistry just building closer as a team being able to produce the same level of produce last year even better maybe”.

Q: With those new pieces, How do you feel like the synergy is in the building so far with the new players so far this spring?

JP: “We welcome them just at home, they feel like they're at home. A lot of the guys, I think, can really say that. As soon as I got here, we treated them with the same respect and they were able to fit in right away. That's one of the things I love about this team is that we treat new guys as if they've been here for so long. And everyone's very welcoming, and brings everyone up and together to perform at the best they can.

Q: Given the experience that you got last season, how much more confidence do you feel just with all that under your belt?

JP: “Definitely confidence grew through each game. And it's definitely great to have that in my back pocket not to lean on some of these experiences. But I try not to worry about too much of the past, just keep worrying about or focusing on what's coming ahead and just chop each moment as the coach would say”.

Q: Jude, handled the kickoffs last year, are you confident you can do both?

JP: “We're talking we're currently doing a little competition between the kickers we have right now. So we're gonna see how that goes. We're pushing each other really hard. And, we're all doing a great job. So just, we're going to keep fighting each day. But we're both doing a great job in the room trying to get that job”.

Q: When you have a new long snapper, How do you work with him in terms of rhythm and timing, but placement and kind of all those other things that have repetition based or do you sit down and kind of talk with him, I mean how does that look?

JP: “Luckily, Austin, he's been a snapper at BYU for a few years. He has a lot of game experience and a lot of experience outside of football. He's an older guy so we kind of got a good connection right away. But, all three of the guys Sammy, Mike and Austin have been doing a great job this spring. They're really fighting it out for that job. So it's not something really talked about. It's more on field reps, but they're all doing a great job and I can't even tell the difference between any of them. They're all doing a fantastic job.