Florida’s backup kicker wasn’t even on the roster two weeks ago.
Neil MacInnes was one of 216 people who tried out for a roster spot on Oct. 21 after No. 2 kicker Jorge Powell went down with a season-ending knee injury against LSU on Oct. 17. And on Saturday, MacInnes will be with the Gators for a crucial SEC East game against Georgia in Athens.
"It’s pretty much a dream come true," MacInnes told GatorZone.com. “I wanted to kick in high school and obviously being part of this organization, and Gator Nation, is kind of cool.”
MacInnes, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound senior who is studying to be a dentist, was a kicker as a high school junior and senior at Chamberlain High School in Tampa. He hasn’t kicked in a game since December 2011, when he nailed two field goals (43 and 48 yards) in a high school all-star game. He also was a standout in soccer and track and field in high school.
MacInnes was practicing with the team three days after his tryout and learned that he’d travel with the team to Athens on Friday as the backup behind Austin Hardin. He said he’s still adjusting to his new gig.
MacInnes said his body continues to adjust to restarting a kicking routine. The first couple of days his muscles ached.
At the initial tryout, MacInnis started by booting three kickoffs. He then to attempted three field goals.
That’s when (special teams coach Greg) Nord stepped in to provide a tip. He told MacInnes to lean the ball forward more on his attempts.
“It was a much better ball,’’ MacInnes said. “My mindset going into it was, ‘if I was in high school, and they were recruiting me right now, like do any of these other guys have the potential to do it? Would they have had the potential to do it in high school?’ I felt like I did.”
The No. 11 Gators (6-1, 4-1) and Bulldogs (5-2, 3-2) kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
For more Florida news, visit InsideTheGators.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!