Luke Akers‘ rise to being one of the top kickers and punters in the country has been fast and furious.
Akers, a Ravenwood senior and son of former NFL All-Pro kicker David Akers, announced his commitment to UCLA on Twitter on Wednesday evening.
Luke Akers has only been kicking for 14 months after originally playing soccer.
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work and time,” said Akers, who is coached by his dad and former Titans special teams coach Alan Lowry, an assistant at Ravenwood. “When you set your mind to something you can do anything. I grinded it.”
Akers started kicking on Father’s Day 2018.
His success after such a short stint of kicking was a positive in his recruitment for UCLA.
“They like how I exploded (the ball) down the field,” he said. “They like my consistency. One thing that caught their attention was where I’m at after such a short amount of time.”
Commitments are non-binding for the school and the athlete. Akers can’t sign until the early signing period begins on Dec. 18.
Akers was 47-of-49 on PATs during the 2018 season and 4-of-6 on field goals with a long of 46 yards. He is the No. 9-ranked kicker in the country by Kohl’s and the No. 10 punter. He averaged 39.3 yards a punt.
He said he’s been told by UCLA coaches that he’ll need to kick his freshman year with the Bruins.
“After that, it’s pretty much up in the air,” Akers said on whether he will kick or punt at UCLA. “I’m a guy that can pretty much do whatever they’d like me to do.
“They are only looking at me to be a kicker.”
For more on Akers and Tennessee high school sports, visit our partners at the Nashville Tennessean.
