New Tider
Mike McLaughlin

High School: Gautier
HS Position: PLK
HS Number: 46
AL Number: 46
Official Visits: Alabama and Notre Dame
Second Choice: Notre Dame
Host During Alabama Visit: Nick Ridings
Committed: 1-14-2001
Academic Status: Qualified

Q&A with Mike McLaughlin

TI: Alabama was one of the first schools to start recruiting you last year. Talk about how that happened.

MM: Well, my dad and me took a tour of the SEC. We went around to all the schools to let them know who I was and give them a tape of me. You kind of have to do that when you're a kicker because not as many people hear about you. When we stopped by Alabama we talked to Ronnie Cottrell. He already knew about me because he was a friend with Rob and Ray Pelfrey from the Pelfrey Kicking camp where I had attended camp. We talked to Coach Cottrell quite a bit and we were very impressed with him and the fact that Alabama is going to need a kicker in the near future, so they became one of my favorites right away. I was pretty close to Coach Cottrell.

TI: When it became apparent that the former Alabama coaching staff was leaving, did Alabama slide down your list?

MM: No, not really. I was just hoping that the new staff would come in and evaluate me and give me some consideration.

TI: Did the new staff contact you right away or was there a delay?

MM: There was a slight delay. You know, I'm sure that I wasn't a top priority for them right off the bat because they probably weren't sure whether they would sign a kicker. But eventually Coach Mark Tommerdahl contacted me and we set up a visit for Alabama.

TI: What were your first impressions of Mark Tommerdahl [TE/special teams coach]?

MM: He was very straightforward. In fact, I've never met anyone more honest and straightforward than Coach Mark. You know, this new staff is different from the old staff personality-wise. The previous staff was more laid back. Everything Coach Mark and the new staff at Alabama do is very fast. They make decisions and then moved forward quickly. That really impressed me. I think we will be very productive next season and in the future because that's what this staff strives for. I don't think they would let us not be productive.

TI: So when you went on your visit to Alabama, were you pretty sure that you would commit during the visit?

MM: I pretty much knew to myself that I was going to commit to Alabama. It was a great visit. I mean, everything about it was right for me. I'm going to major in Business and they have a great Business School. It's close to home and I want to stay in the South in the future. During recruiting I was very aware of the importance of developing connections and there's not a school in the South that has more connections and has more opportunities than Alabama. It is a school that's well connected in the business world.

TI: You committed on Saturday during your visit didn't you?

MM: Actually, I committed Sunday morning right before I left. But like I said, I knew when I got to Alabama that I was probably going to commit.

TI: Supposedly, after you got home from your visit to Alabama a lot of schools called you to come in for visits?

MM: Yeah. It was weird. My parents and me were sitting down at the table the night we got back from Alabama and about three or four schools -- LSU, South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame - called within about a two hour period. They were all asking me to come visit and said that they had scholarships for me. My sister goes to LSU and it would've been great to visit there, but I knew that I couldn't do it. I was already committed to Alabama. Coach Saban told me he would be by for dinner the next night, but I told him that he was too late. LSU, as well as the rest of the schools, really weren't an option.

TI: Well, what happened with …

MM: What happened with Notre Dame?

TI: Yeah, why did you take that trip if they weren't an option?

MM: I really didn't care to take the trip to be honest. But both of my parents grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and they went to Catholic schools and all that good stuff. So Notre Dame is big to them. My dad was fine with my decision to commit to Alabama, but my mom didn't go on my visit to Alabama with me and she didn't know that I had committed until we got home. She and my uncles felt like I should at least take a visit to Notre Dame. They felt like I would be cheating myself by not taking the visit. My mom was like, "Mike, do you know what a Notre Dame education is worth?" It's not that she wanted me to go to Notre Dame. She just wanted me to take the visit to make sure that Alabama was right for me. She didn't want me to someday regret not visiting Notre Dame. Looking back at it, I'm glad that I took the visit. It was a great, great time. I got to meet Coach Davie and a lot of nice people up there.

TI: At any point during the Notre Dame visit, did you think to yourself, "Uh, oh, maybe I should reconsider my commitment to Alabama?"

MM: Never. I thoroughly enjoyed Notre Dame, but I was going to Alabama all the way. My decision was firm the second I looked Coach Fran in the face and told him that I was committed to Alabama. My dad told me that he did not approve of me shaking someone's hand and giving them my word and then going back on it. I wasn't going to back out on Alabama. I didn't want to anyway.

TI: What was Coach Fran's reaction when you told him that you were going to visit Notre Dame?

MM: Well, they had reviewed 11 other kickers on film before they decided that I was the one that they wanted. When I told him that I was going to visit Notre Dame, he said that they would have to bring in another kicker for a visit the next weekend if I was going to take that visit. I told Coach Fran that he could do that if he wanted to, but that he would be wasting money because when I got home on Monday I was going to be calling him to let him know that I was still committed to Alabama. Coach Fran understood my situation though. He knew that some of my family just wanted me to visit Notre Dame. He was very good about it.

TI: Compare Alabama and Notre Dame.

MM: Alabama's definitely a lot bigger. That's one thing that really stood out to me. Notre Dame emphasized student life and the quality of people that are a part of the university. They also emphasize religion heavily. But Alabama has a lot of good people too. The people at Alabama are actually nicer. They're more likely to wave to you on the street. That's just the difference from being in the South versus the North.

TI: What about the football traditions of both schools?

MM: To be honest, I was a soccer player as a kid so I didn't really get into the traditions at Alabama or Notre Dame. When I went into the locker room at Notre Dame, it wasn't like some great feeling just overwhelmed me. To me, Notre Dame is really no different than South Carolina because Notre Dame hasn't really had any great teams in my lifetime.

TI: Did you feel the tradition more at Alabama?

MM: I really didn't get emotional about being in the locker room or anything at Alabama either. But living in the South, I know that it's special to play for Alabama. I know a lot of people over here in Mississippi that love the Crimson Tide. It's really a big deal to a lot of people to be a part of Alabama. But my decision wasn't based on that. It was based on everything about Alabama being right for me.

TI: You have a unique kicking style called American Wedge. Where did you develop that style and explain how it works?

MM: I learned it at the Pelfrey camp. It's somewhat like soccer style but there are some differences. I only drop back two steps and take a half step over versus three steps back and one step over. The shorter distance tightens things up and leaves less room for error in mechanics. The plant foot is the key for accuracy in kicking. Where the toes are pointed on the plant foot is generally the direction the ball will go. The short drop distance in the American Wedge reduces the chance that the plant foot will be pointed off to the side. I also get the ball up much quicker than most soccer kickers. That is good, especially in college, because there's less risk for the kick to be blocked.

TI: What were your stats last season?

MM: I was 39 of 40 on PATs and 12 of 16 on field goals. I finished my high school career as the third leading scorer for a kicker in the nation.

TI: Did you use a tee in high school?

MM: Yeah, I used a half-inch tee my junior and senior seasons. As a sophomore I used a one-inch tee. But really the only reasons we used a tee was for the holder. It allowed him to know where to spot the ball. Plus, half of my games in high schools were played in rainy weather. You know how the weather can be down in south Mississippi and the ground is usually not ideal for kicking. That's one reason I was really surprised that I ended up with decent stats.

TI: Have you kicked much without a tee?

MM: The Pelfrey's told me a long time ago to get rid of the tee as soon as possible. They felt the sooner the better. I've been kicking a lot without a tee and my kicks haven't been affected at all. It won't be a problem for me to adjust in college.

TI: What's your range?

MM: You know, that's one thing that really bothers me. People are always into whether a guy can hit a 65-yard field goal. That's not what coaches are looking for. They want a kicker that has great accuracy from 40 yards and in. If you have that as a kicker, you'll be very successful. Since the seventh grade I've only missed two kicks inside of 40 yards and both of those were in games that were played in rainy conditions.

But, to answer your question, I'd say that I feel comfortable from 50 yards and in. Fifty-five yards would be possible for me, but the chances of me hitting one from 55 to 60 yards are about one in six probably. I'd have to have a wind at my back to hit from that distance. But how many times do you see kickers trying 55-60 yards field goals? Not very often. That's why being consistent from 40 yards and in is much more important than being able to connect from 65 yards.

TI: Have the coaches talked to you about their plans for you next season?

MM: Not really. I know that Alabama will need a kicker soon. It will be either this year or next year. I know that Neil [Thomas] is coming back and will probably be the starter. There's a chance that I could be the kickoff man next year and then take over the placekicking job when Neil leaves. Or maybe I might win the job next season. Or maybe I'll redshirt next season. I guess that it all just depends.

TI: So you wouldn't have a problem with playing or redshirting next season?

MM: No. I'll do whatever is best. If they want me to kick off and then become the field goal kicker for three years after that, that's fine. If they want to save me so I can kick field goals for four years, that's fine too. I have no problem with it either way.

TI: What are you doing now to be prepared?

MM: I've been working out some trying to get bigger and stronger. Right now I'm at 198 pounds. I want to get up to about 207 to 210. The stronger you are the better you are. I'm especially trying to do exercises to build strength in my back. People don't realize that a strong back is very important to being a good kicker.

TI: You told me one time that you wanted to wear number 46.

MM: I got it. The coaches have already told me that they're holding it for me. My dad wore number 46 in high school. That's really why I wanted that number. Plus, it's the number that I wore in high school.

TI: Have you made any recent trips to Alabama?

MM: Unfortunately, I haven't. But I plan on coming up to Tuscaloosa for A-Day. I expect to meet up with several of the other incoming recruits like Clint Johnston and a few girls. [Laughing] I'm sure that you don't want their names though.