But for Kiel Rasp, determination propelled the record-breaking punter from the fringes of his Husky squad to the edge of a professional career.
In an email interview, Rasp recanted the journey from high school walk-on to one of the Pac-12 Conference's top performers.
"I was a recruited walk-on as a high school senior. I practiced my butt off for the first two years (red shirting my first year) in hopes of getting a look and maybe some sort of playing time. By my third year, there was a coaching change and they brought in a really good junior college punter, Will Mahan. Throughout the course of my third season I pretty much just did the grunt work and it was quite honestly, getting a little boring.
My grades were tanking a little so I decided that it would be better for me to quit the team and focus on school. I did that and then the following summer I was camping out on the Olympic Peninsula when I got a text from someone who works with the football team saying that they were looking for another punter to come into camp and help out for the season.
I didn't think much of it, because I thought my time had past so I told the guy I would let him know when I got back into Seattle in three days. Little did I know, they weren't really looking at other guys to come in. When I got back I called coach [Johnny] Nansen - the special teams coach - and he wondered if I would like to come back and help out as a second stringer.
I pretty much just thought to myself 'what the heck, why not?'. I was not expecting to play at all that season but then Mahan went down in a freak accident during practice. Coach Sark [Steve Sarkisian] came over to me and said, 'ok, it's your turn'.
I'm pretty sure he was as nervous as I was. But basically after my first punt the nerves went away and I said to myself, 'hey, what do I have to lose? I was camping like a month ago'. That mentality stuck with me for the rest of the season and turned out to work pretty well.
I was much more involved and took my punting game very seriously. From the experience of playing an entire season, I had a new found confidence that drove my ability to a higher level. I knew that I was the starter and I didn't want to lose the spot. I also didn't want to disappoint the team."
Rasp, one of the nation's best, topped the Pac-12 Conference in punt average setting a school record in 2011, a distinction he also owned after the '10 season.
The Seattle native's approach is to keep it simple. "I have a two-and-a-half- to three- step approach (it can vary slightly at times)," Rasp said. "I hold the ball on the side seam and have it point at what I like to call '10 o'clock' (pointing the nose of the ball straight would be 12 o'clock). I keep my eye on the ball and swing straight up through it."
Looking forward, Rasp will begin training for a pro opportunity shortly, including keeping fit with the Husky Rugby Club.
"I have definitely given it a lot of thought," he said. "I think that it would be a very unique and powerful experience. It is something that I now want to try and do and I am looking forward to training for the opportunity."
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