A three-tool kicker is set to the join the University of Hawaii football team.
Michael Boyle of Camas (Wash.) High will compete at point-scoring kicks, kickoffs and punts this coming training camp.
Rigo Sanchez, who handled those three jobs for the Rainbow Warriors last season, completed his UH eligibility in December and recently signed a free-agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Last spring training, Alex Trifonovitch had kicking and punting duties. Stan Gaudion, who redshirted in 2016, also punted.
Boyle, who is 6 feet 1 and 170 pounds, has connected from 55 yards in practices. More than 80 percent of his 100-plus kickoffs resulted in touchbacks, a remarkable number because he often was assigned to aim for the area between the left sideline and left hash mark. He punted during two stints at the Kohl’s Football Kicking Camps.
Boyle chose UH because of the “community” atmosphere. He said Camas is a town (population 19,355) where “the whole community would come out and support the high school team. I think I’ll get something similar in Hawaii on a bigger scale.”
He said he has bonded with UH special teams coordinator Mayur Chaudhari. “I really like him,” Boyle said. “I thought he’d be a good fit for me.”
Boyle began playing soccer at age 4 and football when he was 7. “They didn’t have kickers on (that football) team because they decided no one could kick it hard enough,” Boyle said. “When I turned 9, that was the first year they had kickers. As a soccer player, I had an advantage over everyone else. It went from there, and I’ve been kicking ever since then.”
Boyle said he plans to study computer science at UH. As a Camas sophomore, he developed an arcade-style game that was published at an app store. Boyle is not perfect. He received an A-minus in a freshman English class. He has earned straight A’s in every other class.