San Jose State University special teams coordinator Fred Guidici was the smash hit at one of the early football team meetings. The spry Spartan assistant, now in his sixth year on the staff and 36th year in coaching, got the room buzzing with his annual standing vertical jump with both feet on the floor to a safe landing position on a standard height desk top.
Guidici will be looking for similar leaps and bounds from his special teams units in 2019. He's coached two of the five top kick scorers in school history in Austin Lopez and Bryce Crawford and punters Michael Carrizosa and Harrison Waid, one and two on the San Jose State list for career punting average. There's more, like devising schemes for blocking kicks and setting up punt and kickoff returns.
This year, Guidici has his biggest group of punters, kickers and long snappers. It's a six-pack with only redshirt freshman placekicker Matt Mercurio returning from the 2018 team. For spring practice, Alex Galland transferred in from Yale and kicker Chris Wood and long snapper Will Butler, two community college transfers, made it a foursome. Long snapper Andrew Gonneville from Trabuco Hills High and kicker Collin Tamas from Amador Valley High, two freshmen, joined the Spartans for fall camp.
"The good news is we have a lot of depth and a lot of competition. We have good kids. They're pushing each other and I'm really proud to have these six guys in my (meeting) room with me," said Guidici, who has spent the first three days of practice installing the team's PAT and field goal schemes on both sides of the ball.
His aim is for consistency and accuracy in all areas of special teams play. A high net punting average, which would include minimizing long opponent punt returns.
"We want accurate placekickers, have them battle it out under pressure (during camp) and may the best man win," he said.
Mercurio, who made all his kicks in the team's weekend spring scrimmages, and Galland, a second-team All-Ivy League punter as a sophomore came out of spring practice at the top of the depth chart. Wood and Tamas are in the mix for each of the kicking jobs.
"So far, so good. What people don't understand is our game is more mental than physical. We're not taking big hits out there or putting down big shots. It's just 1-for-1 every time. You make the kick (and) forget about it. And, it's on to the next one. You miss it, same philosophy… It's all about the next kick. 99 percent mental, 1 percent physical. You just get your mind right," said Mercurio, who is somewhat amazed he is the "senior" member of the Spartans' specialists after joining the team just a year ago from Palma High in Salinas.
Butler did all the long snapping in the spring. Gonneville, trained by Spartan alum Matt Wigley, the long snapper for the 2008 and 2009 teams, is challenging for the job.
"I've been a long snapper since I started playing football at 6-years old. I was a center and thankfully, one of my coaches knew the value of a long snapper on a team and knew where it could get me. So, I stuck with it all the way through Pop Warner into high school, went to community college and still long snapped," said Butler, who has high school playing experience as a receiver and a linebacker.
"I've been long snapping since my freshman year (in high school). I played outside linebacker and got first-team all-league with that. I just did that on the side. I really wanted to pursue it (long snapping) at the collegiate level, because I love doing it," said Gonneville, who trained with Wigley every Saturday for three years.
"I learned everything from him. When I first started snapping, I could barely get it back 15 yards. Over the years, I got better and better. Next thing I know, people start calling. San Jose called and that's why I'm here."
Whoever wins the long snapping duties, will be snapping to Galland for PATs and field goals. The grad student who calls Bakersfield home has experience as a holder from his junior season at Liberty High. Focused on punting for the Spartans, he also is relying on his experiences kicking for Yale to give him the best perspective holding for the winner of the kick-scoring sweepstakes.
"Actually, having been a kicker for three years at Yale, it's nice to know all the things I didn't like that my holders have done. For example, you have to get your body out of the way of the ball as much as possible. You have sit back more than you want and keep your feet out of the way, get your head out of the way, knowing how to lean the ball. It wasn't that hard a transition," said Galland, who is pursuing his master's degree in public administration.
Guidici, Mercurio, Galland, Butler, Wood, Gonneville and Tamas will be chasing the unit's goal of consistency throughout the weekend and the rest of fall camp in preparation for the season.
The first practice open to the public is Tuesday, August 6, at 9:40 a.m. The team's first scrimmage is Saturday, August 10, 5:30 p.m. in CEFCU Stadium. There is no admission charge.
The season opener is Thursday, August 29, with the Spartans hosting Northern Colorado in a 7:00 p.m. non-conference game. Tickets for all San Jose State home games are available at www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets.
