Sophomore kicker Matt Mercurio is a San Jose State University football player clearly on the top of the depth chart this spring. In 2019, he was an honorable mention All-Mountain West selection that converted 20-of-24 field goal tries and was the team's scoring leader with 97 points.
There are three kicking prospects on the 2020 squad this spring. Returnee Chris Wood handled nearly all the kickoff chores and pushed Mercurio for the kick scoring responsibilities throughout spring practice and into the fall a year ago. Freshman Elijah Fischer joined the Spartans this semester and is multi-tasking as the holder and battling for the punting duties.
To realize a solid season of kicking a year ago, Mercurio won the job as a walk-on redshirt freshman. It's an uncommon college football occurrence for one with that label to earn first-string status at any position, but the humanities major from Salinas, Calif., 75 miles south of San Jose, did it.
"My entire emphasis last spring was to go get the job and do whatever I needed to do to get the job," said Mercurio, one of 22 Spartan football players named Academic All-Mountain West this week.
"Now, my focus is going forward is keep the job and do what is necessary to solidify my spot as the starting kicker. I had a great first season, but the past is past and that doesn't influence at all what I do going forward.
"It's a clean slate right now for me right now doing what I need to do to keep my job."
The reward for tying the school record of four field goals in a game three times in 2019 extended beyond the nickname, "Money," his teammates gave him as he made field goal after field goal. His streak of 12 in a row was one of the longer streaks in college football last year.
"THE COOLEST THING EVER"
"Money" also meant being placed on scholarship before the end of the season.
That first scholarship check also meant a lot to the one-time Palma High School soccer player who took up football for the first time his senior year. After receiving what could be termed an "allowance" from his parents for a year and a half, he decided to repay them.
"I think that was the coolest thing ever… just being able to give that to my parents probably was the best experience I've ever had in my life knowing I was able to contribute in that way," said the oldest of four boys in the his family.
"To hear their voices, the surprise and the shock. Their voices are something I will never forget. It was absolutely surreal."
MERCURIO'S 2020 SPRING VISION
As head athletic performance coach Gary Uribe said earlier in the week, increasing the team's strength and size were his off-season conditioning goals for the Spartans. That includes Mercurio.
"The biggest thing I want to improve on from last year is my strength, getting my leg strength up there to add some distance to my kicks," he said. His season-long was a 49-yarder in the New Mexico win in CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans.
"And, hone in and refine my accuracy at this point. I missed a couple of kicks last season. I'm trying to go back from memory and look at film and figure out, 'OK, what did I do wrong?' whether it was a physical flaw, or a mental flaw. 'What can I do to fix it. What can I change in order to swing it back into my favor. Those are my biggest points of emphasis this spring."
Mercurio and San Jose State fans can see how he is progressing as soon as Friday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m., when the Spartans are inside CEFCU Stadium for the first time in spring practice and in pads. There is no admission charge to watch practice and parking is available in the 7th Street Park & Ride Lot.
Season ticket renewals and new purchases for the 2020 San José State football season can be made by calling or by texting RENEW or NEW to (408) 924-7589.