By Mike Gibson
For the Wire
For the next four years, Max Pedinoff has plans to do just what Chip Kelly did: make a name for himself playing football at the University of New Hampshire.
If the Council Rock North and future Wildcat kicker has the kind of success at New Hampshire that the new Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach had there, he might find himself in the NFL as well.
“I think that’s pretty cool that he went there and there are still a lot of his New Hampshire connections here in the Philadelphia area,” Pedinoff said.
First things first, though.
Pedinoff made eight of nine field goals this year for the Indians. His only miss came in the first game against rival Council Rock South.
“It doesn’t haunt me because it was a fluke,” Pedinoff said. “That was a game early in the season where everything just did not go right for us early on in the game. But I felt better at the end because we had recoveries of two onside kicks later in the game and that’s very unusual and a pretty good accomplishment for a kicker.”
In the Bucks County Lions Club’s Bob Sands Memorial All-Star Football game earlier this month, Pedinoff successfully nailed all five of his extra-point attempts as his South team beat the North, 35–9.
His regular season caught the attention of coaches not only at New Hampshire, but also at other colleges up and down the East Coast.
“His first choice was (the University of) Maryland, then Rutgers, then Temple,” Gary Pedinoff, Max’s father, said. “Maryland backed out when it decided to go with an in-state kid and Rutgers cooled off and then the Temple coach (Steve Addazio) left and we lost all of our contacts with Temple because a lot of their coaches went with him.
“West Chester was after him pretty hard all along and they got back to us and asked us to make a decision within 48 hours. That’s when New Hampshire came along.”
Max Pedinoff could not have been happier. He’ll be going to New Hampshire as a “preferred walk-on.”
“I was so excited when New Hampshire called,” Max said. “I mean, you always want to play Division I football and, if I had gone to West Chester, that would have been Division II.
“Plus, the (current) New Hampshire kicker (Mike MacArthur) is a senior (to-be) and they are going to give me a chance to either compete right away or redshirt and play all four years after him.”
As a preferred walk-on, by NCAA rule New Hampshire coaches are not allowed to comment on him until he is enrolled. (They can comment on signed scholarship players.)
Since the current New Hampshire kicker earned a scholarship after playing as a preferred walk-on during his freshman year, that’s one of the things Pedinoff is hoping to do.
If history is any indication, Pedinoff stands a very good chance.
In addition to going 8 for 9 in field goals, he made all 27 of his extra points during the 2012 season. Add the 5 for 5 performance in the Bucks County Lions’ Club all-star game with the eight straight field goals and he’s been perfect on his last 40 placements.
Like a lot of football kickers, Pedinoff started as a soccer player.
“In the sophomore year, I was a goalie and one of the requirements to even play in a game was to run two miles in 12 minutes and I was falling short of that.
“I thought if this is going to be what it is, I was going to try football. The football coach saw me kick a soccer ball and ask me to try kicking the football and, the first day out, I kicked a 35-yarder. I thought, ‘This is pretty easy.’ ”
With the help of CRN kicking coach Dave Crocker and a few visits to training camps, he honed his skills to an elite level.
“I also train one-on-one with nationally recognized trainer Luke Gaddis in Randolph [N.J.] at least three times a month and that’s made a difference,” Max said. “I’m definitely working on my foot position and my consistency.
“The longest field goal I kicked in a game was 42 yards, but I’ve kicked them from 59 yards in practice. I’d say I have a little bit of an edge as a punter. I kicked one 55 yards in a game on a roll and 51 yards in a game in the air.”
If Pedinoff can put those kinds of numbers up at UNH on a consistent basis, he might be joining Chip Kelly soon — not just as a fellow alumnus.
