After BYU missed on him in recruiting, Will Ferrin became a strength of Cougars' 8-0 start

PROVO — In April 2018, a young kicker from Davis High in Kaysville took a recruiting trip to BYU, the school where he was a lifelong fan, hoping to connect with then-special teams coordinator Ed Lamb and others on the Cougars' coaching staff.

Not long after, Will Ferrin committed to Boise State and enrolled after serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vancouver, British Columbia.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake isn't afraid to admit his program made a mistake in that recruitment. But he's less afraid to admit it because of the way Ferrin worked out.

"It's not a perfect science, and we're a program that makes mistakes in evaluating and recruiting," Sitake said Monday in addressing the media during the Cougars' second bye week. "But it's really cool that we have a portal, and that people who fit BYU perfectly should come here – no matter the time.

"The fact that we were able to get him as a transfer from Boise, that he had three years to play, it was an easy transition for our program. It's almost like he's been part of us from the very beginning."

BYU is ranked No. 9 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 with a perfect 8-0 record, including a 5-0 mark in Big 12 play after Saturday's 37-24 road win over UCF.

While he won't take much credit — what kicker would or should? — Ferrin is as much a part of his team's success as anyone else.

And after being spurned by BYU as a high schooler, he's happy to be a part of the program he grew up cheering on, he told KSL.com.

"Being here is awesome," said Ferrin, who has two older brothers that played lacrosse for the Cougars. "Going into the stadium is surreal every time. Plus, the program right now is in an amazing spot.

"The resources that we have here, with strength and conditioning, nutrition, coaching, everything, BYU is a pretty special place to be. It's been everything and more since coming down here."

Ferrin was best known for his execution on a fake field goal, when long snapper Dalton Riggs and punter/holder Sam Vander Haar helped the former Davis High standout for an eight-yard run on fourth down in the Cougars' 37-24 win over UCF.

That play was called by many "one of the top plays in college football" and earned Crazy Good Play of the Week honors by the Pop-Tarts Bowl, selected in conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America.

Ferrin was also named Big 12 co-special teams player of the week following the win over the Knights, the first three-field goal game of his career.

On the fake field goal, Ferrin told BYUtv that he, Vander Haar and Riggs practiced the attempt "for weeks." Vander Haar, a Pitt transfer, had never been a holder before, and the second exchange between he and Ferrin was … well, not great, the kicker said with a laugh.

"At first, he was not good at it, the first week or so we ran it," Ferrin said. "Then he got better, he put in the time, and it was there when we got it. We'll take it."

Ferrin has also been incredibly reliable from the spot through BYU's 8-0 start, including going 3-for-3 Saturday with field goals of 36, 37 and 41 yards; converting all four of his extra-point kicks; and averaging 64.0 yards on eight kickoff attempts for 512 yards and four touchdowns.

On the season, the 6-foot-3 Boise State transfer has connected on 25-of-31 field goals and 65-of-66 extra points for the Cougars, accounting for 140 points and 17.5 of BYU's 35.13 points-per-game average.

But when asked about it earlier this season by KSL.com, Ferrin gave the credit to the special teams group led by coordinator Kelly Poppinga and highlighted by Vander Haar and Riggs, among others.

"As a group, I feel like this offseason we were really good with preparation," Ferrin said. "Everything was super intentional, with kicking, with holding, with snapping. We put a lot of reps in, and all the reps we were doing were really intentional, putting ourselves into game situations. That's what translated the most for me."

In addition to Ferrin's steady leg and Vander Haar, the former Aussie Rules Football semi-pro athlete who is averaging 42.8 yards on 20 punts in eight games, the Cougars' special teams have also produced a punt return touchdown (Parker Kingston) and kickoff return score (Keelan Marion) in the same season for the first time since 2011.

Plenty of credit goes to the players on that end. But Poppinga's hand in adjusting BYU's special teams into a strength for a complementary football program can't be ignored.

"K-Pop's done a great job," Sitake said. "He's a great coach, and he can coach everything. He'd be a great candidate for a head coach somewhere. Obviously, I'd rather have him stay with me for the rest of his career or my career.

"He's got so much talent in evaluating and connecting with young men on the team," he added. "He does all the little things right."

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