Army punter Zach Harding takes next step toward NFL opportunities

WEST POINT – Zach Harding took up punting as a freshman in high school just for the fun of it. He had no idea at the time that it could lead to a pro career.

A growth spurt, to 6-foot-5 as a sophomore, gave natural rise to better numbers. He became a scholastic all-star in Missouri and that opened his opportunity to attend West Point. He became Army’s starting punter early in his sophomore season and has since been one of the most dynamic punters in all of college football.

He set Army’s single-season record with 48.2 yards per punt in 2019. The average dropped to 43.3 yards as his workload doubled in 2020 but his proficiency improved by pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line 17 times.

This past season Harding upped his average to 44.1 yards; he hit a dozen boomers of more than 50 yards and pinned opponents inside the 20 a total of 19 times, none better than putting Navy at its own 1, a moment he calls the favorite of his career.

Army head coach Jeff Monken frequently called Harding his All-American candidate. This week, Harding joins an all-American cast of standouts in southern California for the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl on Saturday – dozens of Army players have participated in all-star games since 1925 but Harding is the first in this relatively new showcase.

“I’m really excited for it,’’ Harding said. “I’m just going to go out there and do my best.’’

The showcase for pro scouts started on Monday with highly scrutinized practices and culminates with the senior-class game at the Rose Bowl. NFL Network will televise at 6 p.m. However, the ongoing COVID pandemic has restricted fans from attending.

“The nerves may come once I'm out there,’’ Harding said. “At the end of the day, it's just doing what I've done for the past eight years.’’

Harding will punt for the National team, to be coached by Marvin Lewis. Jeff Fisher will coach the American team, and Illinois’ Blake Hayes will punt for that squad.

One thing that has worked against Harding is Army’s proficient offense, a triple-option ground game that regularly chews up clock and yardage. Harding was only called upon 38 times this past season - there were 90 NCAA Division I-A punters who had at least 44 attempts and 35 with at least 50.

Harding concluded his career with only 100 attempts (No. 14 all-time at West Point) for 4,462 yards (No. 13) and a school record 44.6 average. He owns the Army single-season ranks of No. 1 (48.2, in 2019), No. 5 (44.1, in 2021) and 43.3 (No. 7, in 2020).

Did he ever spy the weekly rankings?

“To be honest, I never really had to because my dad kind of kind of kept me (informed),’’ Harding said. “He would always text me about that so I never really had to look.’’

Harding nearly gave up punting in his freshman year of high school.

“I didn’t like punting because when I was starting out I would hit my foot on the ground so many times when I would swing through and that didn’t feel good,’’ he said. He finally discovered the proper mechanics and that consistent approach proved critical to his success. Harding said he has dabbled with the Australian Rules Football and rugby style kicks – like his bowl counterpart Hayes – but felt uncomfortable and stuck with what he does best.

“I think it’s mainly just finding that one more thing that you need to work on,’’ Harding said. “My sophomore year, I hit like the open-field ball well but I wasn't good with the short punts. So after that it was all working on short punts and working on placement and direction. It was like having something to work toward.’’

His teammates began joking about Harding headed to the NFL during his junior year – it was the first time he really gave consideration to fulfilling that dream.

“At that time I didn't have good enough placement of the ball to even have a chance,’’ he said. “But that is most of what I worked on that offseason and I think that got me to the point where I get started to (think), ‘Hey, I may have a chance.’’’

Harding did not see any time on the Army varsity during a freshman year where he struggled with his time management skills and just finding enough time to sleep. His promotion to starting punter as a sophomore “was definitely nerve wracking” but he eventually learned to “stop thinking” and just rely on his repetition.

“I try to not get worked up,’’ he said. “The more you start thinking about things the more you’re going to mess things up so I kind of go out there and try to not think about a single thing and just let the work that I’ve put in practice do it all for me.’’

Past Army punters who have participated in showcase events include Graham White (1999 Blue-Gray Classic), Dan McElroy (2002 All-Star Gridiron Classic) and Owen Tolson (2008 Texas Bowl). Tolson eventually got a tryout with the New York Giants but was waived.

Only one punter was drafted by the NFL in 2021 so the odds are not in Harding’s favor.

“Thinking about (the NFL) seems farfetched,’’ Harding said, “just because coming out of high school (and) even playing in college it just seems unreal to have that opportunity. But I've been told I have the (pro) opportunity, at least a chance. I'm going to try my best.’’

kmcmillan@th-record.com

Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army West Point NFL Collegiate Bowl showcase punter Zach Harding