Blake Glessner Transfer Portal Prospects: 3 possible destinations for the UCLA kicker
UCLA kicker Blake Glessner has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. He announced the news on his X account on Dec. 10, thanking the university and his two head coaches, Chip Kelly and DeShaun Foster.
Glessner spent the past two years with the Bruins, but he has been used sparingly, appearing in only five games, with Kelly opting to go with sophomore Mateen Bhaghani. He went 2-for-7 on field goals and made all nine of his PATs.
Before playing for UCLA, he spent two seasons playing for the Montana State Bobcats, where he made 44 of his 56 field goal attempts and went 119-for-124 on PATs. He also showed off his range there, as he hit past 50 yards four times.
With one year of eligibility remaining, Blake Glessner will be looking for a situation where he can start immediately and show potential NFL teams what he can do. We look at some of those possible situations.
3 possible destinations for UCLA kicker Blake Glessner
#1 UNLV Rebels
The UNLV Rebels thought they had a kicker for the future in freshman Caden Chittenden. He posted solid numbers this season, making 78.8% of his field goals and 55 of 56 on his PATs. He looked to use that to leverage a bigger program and entered the transfer portal. Chittenden has since committed to USC, and that leaves a gaping hole in the Rebels' kicking game.
Junior Andre Meono is not really the solution for them, and freshman Ramon Villela is unproven, and it remains to be seen if he’s better as a punter or a kicker. This could be a good situation for Blake Glessner, as he could come in and show what he can do to prospective NFL scouts looking for a decent leg.
#2 Michigan State Spartans
Jonathan Kim has finished his last year of eligibility and may look to go to the pros. He posted solid numbers for the Spartans this season and helped his pro case by going above 90% on his field goals. He has also shown he can kick in the high 50s.
Coach Jonathan Smith could look to Blake Glessner to make up for the loss of Kim, as he only has two freshman kickers left on his roster who are still unproven.
#3 Arizona State Sun Devils
The Big 12 champions made do with a committee of kickers this season, with none taking a significant step to be the team’s full-time starter. Sophomore Ian Hershey played the most games, but he looks more suited to being a punter than a kicker. He only completed 58% of his field goals, struggling with his range as he went 2-for-5 on field goals beyond 40 yards this season.
Parker Lewis is a senior who has bounced around teams for the past two years and has not played much in that span. He used to be serviceable when he was with USC, earning an honorable mention All-Pac-12 during his freshman season in 2020, but he too has struggled with his field goals this season. He suited up in only five games, going 1-for-3 on field goals with his longest being 47 yards.
Meanwhile, Carston Kieffer is an unproven freshman who also appeared in five games for the Sun Devils this season, with his longest field goal only from 32 yards.
Blake Glessner could be an upgrade to all three players, and coach Kenny Dillingham would want to avoid another season of patchwork on his kicking game.