Georgia football: Jake Camarda stole the show Saturday
Georgia football debuted dozens of players Saturday against Austin Peay. One of the more impressive newcomers was freshman punter Jake Camarda.
I don’t like to see players get overhyped. I try to avoid doing so myself. But I can’t keep quiet about freshman punter Jake Camarda. I think he has the potential to be the best punter in Georgia football history. And I believe that Spike Jones’ 50-year record is in jeopardy.
That record is for the longest punt in school history. In 1967 Jones kicked an 87-yard punt, which flipped field position and helped Georgia defeat Auburn 17-0. That’s how impressed I was with Camarda Saturday, that I think he’ll one day net over 87 yards on a punt.
His last punt of the game, the line of scrimmage was the Georgia 37-yard line. It landed inside the 10, bounced through the end zone, and was only stopped by the hedges behind the end zone, roughly eight yards behind the end zone. He may have only been credited for 63 yards, but the total distance it traveled was 81 yards. It was still bouncing and rolling with some velocity when it hit the hedges. I want to see what he can do if he ever has to kick out of our end zone.
This talent and leg strength shouldn’t come as a surprise. 247 Sports ranked Camarda as the no. 1 punter in the 2018 class. He’s only the second no. 1 ranked punter UGA has ever signed. The first was Drew Butler, the 2009 Ray Guy Award winner. No other kicker or punter signed by the Dawgs held a no. 1 ranking.
Next. Georgia, Auburn and the College football Mecca of Atlanta. dark
Camarda didn’t punt until the second half Saturday. By then, Georgia had phased out pretty much all of their big name players. It was time for newcomers and other emerging talents to show out. Camarda was perhaps the most impressive of that bunch. He wowed the Sanford Stadium crowd with three amazing punts. If you were worried about replacing Cameron Nizialek, you shouldn’t be anymore.