Will Ferrin is to BYU what freon is to an air conditioner and when the heat is on, like it is in late July/early August or when a football team breaks in a new quarterback, freon and a reliable kicker are the keys to keeping things cool. In fact, without them, discomfort only increases.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake has AC running in his truck on the drive to work and throughout the football office. He can thank the freon for that. Out on the field, roasting in the summer sun, Sitake also has a kicker so reliable that it takes the heat off his offense. He can thank Ferrin for that.
The senior from Kaysville made 16 consecutive field goals to end last season, including 54- and 51-yard boots against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl and a 44-yard game winner to stun Utah 22-21 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Ferrin returns as one of the best kickers in college football and the timing for his last blast at BYU couldn’t be better, especially when you consider the Cougars quarterback quandary. He is a luxury that cannot be overstated.
In a game where scoring the most points matters, Aaron Roderick’s play calling has an insurance policy if the wheels come off with Treyson Bourget, McCae Hillstead or Bear Bachmeier. He and any of those quarterbacks will take three points over nothing every single drive.
Among Ferrin’s strengths include the absence of newness. He has made kicks in almost every condition, on every surface and in every atmosphere — friendly or hostile. It helps that his holder, Sam Vander Haar (punter) is back, too, and Baylor transfer Garrison Grimes brings 31 games of experience as a deep snapper.
After missing his first kick of the 2024 season, a 36-yard attempt at SMU, Ferrin responded by going 17 for 17 in field goals of 41 yards or shorter. He also made all 41 extra-point attempts.
With Ferrin, the Cougars can anticipate scoring points anytime they cross midfield and that gives Roderick’s new quarterbacks some room for error. They don’t need to be perfect, they just need to get the team in striking range, whether that’s for a touchdown or for Ferrin.
Ferrin’s exchange with special teams coach Kelly Poppinga in the final moments of the Utah game will live forever in Cougar lore. As BYU was driving downfield to set up the game-winning kick, Poppinga approached Ferrin on the sideline and asked which hash mark he preferred to have the ball. Ferrin, calm and cool, told him it didn’t matter. He was going to make it — and he did.
On the road, late at night, in the rivalry game with an unbeaten record and top-10 national ranking on the line, Ferrin trotted onto the field as if it was a lazy Friday afternoon on the beach. It’s not that he didn’t care, it’s more that he had worked so hard, practiced so long and conditioned his mind just right, that attempting and making such a pressure-packed kick was a breeze.
An AC unit doesn’t function without freon. A contending football team doesn’t contend without a reliable kicker. Sitake can’t do much about the 90-degree temperatures at practice this week, but he can chill over the status of his kicker — who plays with ice in his veins and that’s enough to keep things pretty cool, even when it’s hot.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com