Punter Veron makes move

Posted Mar 31, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Mar 31, 2011 at 12:48 PM

In looking at the first depth chart released this spring, one position where a 2010 starter has been supplanted for the moment is at punter, where redshirt freshman Chris Veron is now listed at first team ahead of junior Justin Brockhaus-Kann.

Brockhaus-Kann got off to a great start last season, with USF coach Skip Holtz even making some playful references to Gus the kicking mule with the way he was performing at the time, but wasn’t able to maintain it and struggled in the second half of the season. Brockhaus-Kann finished with a 37.6 yards per punt average, which ranked last in the Big East.

“He was averaging 45 yards a punt through the first three or four games I believe it was, and then all of the sudden things started going down hill and he struggled the second half of the season. We were torn with the fact do we pull the (redshirt) off Veron at that point in time with where we were going. We made the decision not to. I just told them both you’re going to have your chance to compete this spring,” Holtz said.

“Punting is an exact science. You average this, your hangtime is this, your get-off is this. Those are measurables. Those are numbers sitting in front of you. Those competitions are pretty black and white. Their pretty cut and dry. Veron’s got better numbers right now. He’s doing a good job, which is why we put him there. There’s still five more days (of spring practice) and an entire summer and fall camp and those guys will still continue to compete, but if I had to play tomorrow, right now I’d punt Veron.”

Holtz said Veron averaged roughly 45.5 yards per punt through the first 10 spring practices, punting roughly 20 times per practice.

—-One thing Holtz pointed out regarding the first depth chart was that players who did not participate in Saturday’s first scrimmage of the spring weren’t considered for the initial two-deep, which explained a few notable names missing, like sixth-year senior receiver A.J. Love and junior receiver Lindsey Lamar. Love did not participate in the scrimmage, while Lamar has missed the entire spring while recovering from shoulder surgery.

“Without scrimmaging it’s very hard to justify or look someone else in the eye when you go 178 plays why he’s up there and somebody else isn’t,” Holtz said.