Punter boots his problems
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Anthony Fera, working on polishing his punting
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State punter Anthony Fera has a strong leg and a big reputation.
The only thing left for him to do is wrap up the starting job by the end of preseason camp.
"I'm confident," Fera said. "I feel like I can win the starting job."
A redshirt freshman, Fera was rated the No. 2 kicker in the country by Scout.com and Rivals.com coming out of St. Pius X High School in Houston. He had scholarship offers from Big Ten Conference schools Ohio State and Michigan along with Penn State.
He originally gave a verbal commitment to the Wolverines before changing his mind and signing with the Nittany Lions.
Fera, who was born in Philadelphia, spent last season serving as the backup kicker to Collin Wagner, but he did not see any action. Fera was moved to punter this spring when projected starter Ryan Breen left the team for personal reasons.
But Fera didn't take advantage of the opportunity to claim the No. 1 job vacated by record-setting punter Jeremy Boone.
In early April, Fera was cited for purchase/possession of alcohol by a minor after university police found him drinking from a bottle of Cruzan Mango Rum near his residence at the Nittany Apartments.
He was suspended from practicing with the team and wide receiver Graham Zug and Temple transfer Russell Nye -- who wasn't on the team's 105-man preseason roster -- handled the punting duties in the Blue-White Game.
"I went out before practice and worked out on my own," Fera said. "The off-the-field thing was obviously a mistake and definitely an obstacle I had to overcome, but I've learned from it and I'm full-go right now."
Fera has been competing against two true freshman walk-ons in Alex Butterworth and A.J. Firestone.
Butterworth was a three-time all-state selection in Indiana who averaged 38.8 yards per punt last season. Firestone is a 240-pound former guard/nose tackle from Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy who dropped 25 pounds and has exhibited a strong leg.
First Published August 20, 2010 12:00 am
