Sophomore kicker Nolan Hauser among best in country
Cornelius (N.C.) Hough sophomore kicker Nolan Hauser will have a different style of recruitment than other positions.
Hauser broke through with a Maryland offer Jan. 26, which is unusual for a sophomore kicker. Recruiting kickers is about timing — mainly when a kicker finishes up their eligibility.
Former Charlotte Myers Park coach Scott Chadwick is now the director of recruiting operations at Maryland. Head coach Mike Locksley came to Hough High and quickly offered Hauser.
“I did not see it coming with Maryland,” Hauser said. “They came to school one day and offered me on the spot.”
Hauser stopped by NC State’s practice April 8, the day before the spring game. He enjoyed meeting NC State special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Todd Goebbel, and he’s been following Wolfpack kicker Christopher Dunn, who is from Lexington, N.C.
“That was awesome,” Hauser said. “You really look for a coach that is there and is supporting, which is what Coach Goebbel was like. Being comfortable is huge in kicking. If you aren’t comfortable, your confidence just drops. Watching Chris Dunn’s routine is huge in what he does to compare for the game.”
Having special teams guru Dan Orner guiding Hauser is another advantage he has over the next few years. Order has been great in putting Hauser in contact with college coaches.
“I couldn’t ask for any better coach and he’s a better person,” Hauser said. “Kicker is really different than other positions. Other positions will have multiple spots open, like lineman because they need a lot of lineman. The same with wide receivers.
“It’s us and quarterbacks because there is just one of us on the field. It’s kind of tricky with the recruiting process because you have to find the right year a school is looking for.”
Hauser keeps a chart on when kickers are graduating, and then looks to see if a school fills that slot with a graduate school kicker as a one-year band-aid. The key is to see what schools will take kickers on scholarship and which one’s will go with a preferred walk-on approach and then maybe be eventually put on scholarship.
“Right now, it’s just hard for me to know who will take a 2024,” Hauser said. “The transfer portal can be ridiculous. For me, it’s early. I figure next year I’ll know more on coaches looking at 2024.”
Hauser will formulate a plan to kick at various college camps this summer. That will help put him in position to earn more scholarship offers, complementing what he does at Hough High and his video that coaches see.
“Camp season is crazy and just insane,” Hauser said. “Everyone has their camp during the same week. I figure I’ll release that camp schedule in a couple of weeks.”
What isn’t up for debate is that Hauser can really kick, and the 6-foot, 170-pounder is also pretty athletic too, running the 100-meter dash (11.8 seconds) in track for Hough High. He has a favorite video on Twitter where he kicks the ball off a pole on purpose and then sprints and dives to catch the deflection, to show his quickness.
“That video was awesome,” Hauser said.
Hauser helped Hough go 14-1 this past season and went 21 fo 26 on field goals with a long of 48 yards, and he made 67 of 72 extra points for 130 points. He also averaged 37.5 yards on punts and handled kickoffs.
“It’s insane to have 26 field-goal attempts in high school, especially as a sophomore,” said Hauser, who looks up to NFL kickers Justin Tucker and Joey Slye.
Hauser knows he’s in a good position because of Hough’s explosive offense, which will always put him in position to make an impact. He made 4 of 5 field-goal attempts and both extra points in a 26-14 playoff win over Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High.
“I really got into kicking because of soccer,” Hauser said. “It was really hard to just pick one sport.”
Some families are just meant to kick a ball. Hauser originally loved soccer up until about his ninth-grade year. His father, Scott Hauser, played baseball at Clemson, and his mother, Sheri (Bueter) Hauser was an All-American in soccer for the Tigers. She became the Clemson all-time assists leader and is in the Tigers Hall of Fame. Older sister Ella Hauser just finished her freshman season playing women’s soccer at Clemson. Yes, Nolan knows colleges will ask if he dreams of going to Clemson.
“It would be awesome if I had that option and it’s a great school, but I’ve switched things up in the family and can do something else,” Hauser said.
Follow on Twitter:
@NCStateRivals or @JaceyZembal
Subscribe for free on YouTube:
For Jacey Zembal or The Wolfpack Central
Like on Facebook:
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS: Our NETWORK-WIDE, all-access pass allows you to read every premium message board in the Rivals.com network as part of a bundled add-on to your subscription!
Subscribers can add the All-Access Pass or a 3-Site Bundle in your account profile, under the Subscriptions tab: HERE
