Every Wednesday over the summer, The Juice Online is going to highlight individual players on the 2013 Syracuse football team. This week, we’re profiling kicker Ross Krautman.
There have been plenty of big names that have come through Syracuse in its football history.
Donovan McNabb. Marvin Harrison. Jim Brown. Floyd little. Just to name a few.
But in Syracuse’s vaunted football history, only three other players have scored more points than senior kicker Ross Krautman. Heading into his final year at Syracuse, he ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list with 250 points, and fourth on SU’s career field goals made list (48).
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“He’s an experienced guy that’s won some games for us,” head coach Scott Shafer said.
Krautman was one of only 15 true freshman to play in 2010, and he was named a Sporting News Freshman All-American and an All-Big East Second Team selection after going 18-19 on field goals.
Still, Krautman has tapered off since his first year. Last year, Krautman was 15-23 on the season, and for the first time in his career, missed from inside 30 yards.
The low point came during a sloppy 35-24 loss to Cincinnati on Nov. 3. Krautman missed a field goal and had another blocked as the Orange dropped to 4-5 on the season.
But, like the rest of the team, Krautman was perfect from that point on.
He nailed his last five attempts of the season, including a pair on a blustery, snowy day at Yankee Stadium as Syracuse topped West Virginia, 38-14 in the Pinstripe Bowl.
While Krautman is likely to start his senior season, head coach Scott Shafer has not guaranteed the spot. Krautman has been competing with sophomore Ryan Norton.
“It’s an open competition across the board,” Shafer said. “Both of those kids have the ability to do well.”
But Shafer hasn’t forgotten the accomplishments that Krautman has had in his distinguished career.
“Ross has done a good job here in his career,” Shafer said. “He’s been working hard.”
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Inside slant: There’s no reason to think that Krautman won’t be the starter heading into his senior year. While no one is expecting him to have the kind of season he had his freshman year, he’ll still have to improve on his junior season.
Vitals:
- Birthdate: February 1991
- Hometown: Franklin Lakes, NJ
- High School: Ramapo HS
- Position: Kicker
- Class: Senior
- Height: 5’7″
- Weight: 160 lbs
Career highlights: Last year, Krautman was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week after going 4 for 4 on field goals and PATs against UConn. As a freshman, Krautman was named Sporting News Freshman All-American and was named to the All-Big East Second Team.
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