Sander Sahaydak had a golden opportunity. The months of competition had seemingly paid off as he entered last year’s season opener as Penn State’s priority placekicker. Then he attempted two field goals and missed them both. He didn’t attempt another in 2023. Now in another preseason battle, Sahaydak is once again a front-runner for the starting job.
Sahaydak is one of three kickers James Franklin said he feels confident he can “win with.” The others are redshirt freshman walk-on Ryan Barker and Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer. All come with different skill sets and levels of experience, creating an interesting competition to replace last year’s starter, Alex Felkins.
“The numbers and the statistics are pretty impressive across the board. I think Sander and Barker are probably a little bit further ahead, but Chase’s numbers are good too,” Franklin said. “Those two guys have a little bit stronger leg, but they, all three of them, have been very consistent under tough situations. Put a ton of pressure on them in practice.”
That pressure is real. To close various practices, a kicker will set up his tee in a given spot, surrounded by the entire program. Music blasts as whistles are blown without hesitation and coaches and teammates scream. The kicker is prompted to, of course, make a field-goal attempt amid the chaos. And if he does, that means push-ups for Franklin.
Sahaydak is no stranger to the intensity of a packed Beaver Stadium. He’s played in it, which is something that can’t be said for Barker or Meyer. Metrics are one thing, but if a kicker can’t play under bright lights in the face of 110,000 wailing fans, the Penn State placekicking job might not be the right fit.
The conditions Meyer could be tasked with playing through this fall are certainly different from anything he experienced at Tulsa last season or Penn the year before. But special coordinator Justin Lustig has liked what he’s seen from Meyer as of late.
“Those three guys are really competing, and Chase is right there with them. He’s found a groove,” Lustig said. “The spring was a little bit of a transition for him, he was dealing with some minor injuries. But all three of those guys, and we’ve got a good problem right now in that room.”
Meyer may not have the most experience as a Nittany Lion, but he’s kicked more collegiately than any player he’s up against. Last season, Meyer nailed 17 of 20 field-goal attempts with a long of 47 yards. Sahaydak did hit all seven of his extra-point attempts in 2023, but remains without a college field goal. Barker has yet to make an attempt.
That could be a deciding factor when Franklin and Lustig choose a starter. There’s nothing that separates kickers better than numbers, and that’s exactly what will be used in determining the go-to leg at the season’s start.
“When you’re evaluating other positions on offense, defense … there’s so much subjectivity in making those decisions, on who’s gonna be a starter. At placekicker, it’s not as difficult. We’re charting every kick,” Lustig said. “So those guys know that. They know that we’re gonna look at the data and see if it’s close, you know, a guy that’s a veteran or a guy that we feel like can handle the stress and the situations might get the nod.”
