EAST LANSING – Ryan Eckley was midway through a press conference on Wednesday before being alerted to a group begging for attention.
The Michigan State punter turned and looked up to spot teammates taking photos and doing their best to be seen behind the glass a floor above inside the Tom Izzo Football Building.
Specialists are a unique breed and Eckley is proving to be even more valuable than most.
Already established as one of the best punters in the nation, the redshirt junior delivered in a pinch to help secure last week’s 23-6 season-opening win against Western Michigan. Due to lingering injuries among the kickers, Eckley handled kickoffs and attempted a field goal for the first time in his college career.
“It’s something I’ve always had in the back of my mind, especially for the NFL,” Eckley said. “You hear a lot about draft stock and stuff, being able to do all three even as a serviceable backup.”
As Michigan State pushes ahead in season two under coach Jonathan Smith, Eckley is about as sure a bet as possible on the roster. After arriving as a 17-year-old walk-on from Florida, he spent a season learning from one of the best on the planet in Bryce Baringer, now entering his third year booting balls for the Patriots.
The transition was smooth with Eckley named a Freshman All-American during his second year in 2023. He led the Big Ten with a 47.9-yard average on punts with six downed inside the 20 last season.
Although Michigan State’s depth chart at punter was cemented coming out of fall camp last month, kicker remained a mess. Following the loss of standout Jonathan Kim, the top two options heading into this year were Tarik Ahmetbasic and Martin Connington. The redshirt freshmen have been limited by injury leading to walk-on Blake Sislo, a former Division II transfer, making his college debut by hitting all three of his extra-point attempts.
The rest of the kicking duties were thrown to Eckley, who dusted off his high school skills while also thriving in his primary role. He averaged 51.3 yards on six punts with four downed inside the 20. Two were deep pins with the first almost resulting in a safety and the second delivering one a snap after Western took over at its goal line.
Linebacker Jordan Hall blew up the play from the snap before defensive linemen Jalen Thompson and Alex VanSumeren wrapped up the tackle in the end zone.
“I go out there and do my job at the best level I can,” Eckley said, “and then our defense goes out there and executes at the level they can and we put points on the board directly.”
Being a proficient punter earned Eckley a spot at Michigan State but his expanded repertoire was really tested for the first time last week. He spent part of fall camp shaking off the cobwebs on kickoffs and splitting the uprights.
“I did all three in high school so it wasn’t something I was foreign to,” Eckley said. “I’m pretty comfortable doing all three, it’s just stuff that I haven’t repped in a little while but I was more than capable of doing all of them.”
Due to injuries, Michigan State entered the opener planning on Sislo handling extra points and potentially short field goals. When the Spartans were faced with a 46-yard attempt at the end of the first half, Eckley got the nod and was relaxed but missed wide left.
“Honestly, I felt really confident and calm running out there,” he said. “It wasn’t like I was stressed or nervous or anything, I just kind of wrapped the kick a little bit. I would have really liked that one to go in.”
Eckley didn’t become interested in golf until arriving at Michigan State and learning from Baringer how that sport translated to kicking. He’s now obsessed and celebrating with a swing on the field after a successful kick is part of the routine, quickly comparing it to a 60-degree wedge in a newly-fitted set of clubs.
“At the end of the day, we’re playing the kid’s game and you want to have fun with it,” Eckley said. “It’s a high-pressure sport, don’t get me wrong, there’s parts where you really need to focus and do your job but if I’m out there on a kickoff, just trying to have fun, lighten the mood.”
Michigan State’s kicker situation remains clouded due to injuries with Ahmetbasic and Connington questionable heading into Saturday’s matchup against Boston College. Eckley remains ready to step up again and seeks even more specialist glory.
“I’ve got to score at some point,” Eckley said of a touchdown before playing coy about how that would happen. “I can’t tell you how it would look, that’s to see on a Saturday but at some point, I hope to be in the end zone.”
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