Introducing Gabriel Nwosu, Penn State Football’s 6-Foot-6 Kicker

If you were to stop and look around a Penn State football practice in full swing things would seem pretty normal. The big guys would be over with the offensive line, the tight ends would be working on their blocking, the quarterbacks down at one end of the field working on their footwork in the pocket.

There’s nothing all that interesting – visually – to pick out of the crowd of players and coaches working on their techniques.

But you might also look toward the middle of the field where a collection of punters and kickers are lurking, sending the ball high into the air toward returners 40 yards away.

And then you would see him, Gabriel Nwosu, a 6-foot-6 (278-pound) punter, lumbering around swinging his leg like a trebuchet, absolutely launching the ball into orbit.

It’s worth noting – especially in the wake of former Penn State’s kicker Joey Julius’ own struggles – that a person’s size can sometimes be a sensitive topic. In this case however [and speaking as a fellow tall person] there is something just inherently unique about Nwosu towering over his fellow kickers.

“Some guys are in that 6’3, 6’4 range but he’s a big dude,” Penn State special team’s coach Stacy Collins said earlier this spring. “But what that allows is more torque. I mean, you watch him kick the ball off, it’s booming. It also means he needs to make sure and consider – when you’re bigger and longer then you’ve got to be a little bit cleaner with your drops and your technique. So it’s been a little bit unique.”

While Nwosu isn’t the only 6-foot-6 player on Penn State’s roster (six other players can boast that height) only offensive lineman Jimmy Christ is taller at 6-foot-7. As for the rest of his fellow punters and kickers, Jake Pinegar is the next tallest at 6-foot-2 but still comes in far shorter and far lighter than his counterpart.

“He’s got an unbelievable leg,” Collins added. “[And a] big body, he’s been great. He’s made a ton of strides from when I got here in January to where he’s at now.”

Penn State doesn’t make freshmen available to the media, so fans will have to wait another year for the kicking titan to make his microphone debut. The Maryland native isn’t a new face for at least one Nittany Lion though: linebacker Curtis Jacobs played against Nwosu in high school and knows all about that big leg.

“I think he could dominate,” Jacobs said with a laugh after practice. “I think they should give him a shot.”