Hawaii kicker Matthew Shipley ready to get off on the right foot
Jul. 28—Like most of the University of Hawaii football team entering the grass practice field on Wednesday, Matthew Shipley was excited for fall camp to begin.
"I've been waiting to put the gear on forever, " the junior placekicker /punter said after the special teams session on Wednesday. "Just ready to get out of the weight room and get out on the field."
But before the Liberty Hill, Texas, native took the field, he was added to the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award watch list for 2022, the award for the top collegiate placekicker in the nation.
"It's a standard here. It's an honor to be on that list, but in the meeting rooms, you talk about technique and fundamentals all the time, " Shipley said. "That's what I'm working on this year, just getting better every day, and so it's an expectation."
Shipley has made progress in his first two seasons in Manoa, going from 8-for-14 on field goals in 2020 to finishing 2021 with an 18-for-21 mark on field goals and a perfect 42-for-42 on extra points. He was named a semifinalist for the Groza Award last season after starting out 11-for-12 on field goals and 30-for-30 on extra points.
"That's where he belongs, and I don't mean for that to sound arrogant, but that's where he belongs, " UH special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield said about Shipley being added to the award's watch list. "He went 18-for-21 a year ago, and that's a testament to his snapper, his holder, his protection. It's a testament to him as well and what he can do, and I see him continuing on that path."
Both UH's long snapper and holder from 2021 are no longer on the team, but depending on how things shake up in fall camp, Shipley's roommates Ben Falck and Mississippi transfer Solomon Landrum could potentially be his respective holder and long snapper against Vanderbilt next month.
"Bonding really well together is something that's really important, " Shipley said. "You want to be close with your specialists, and I can critique them without hurting their feelings, so it really helps."
Entering 2022, the Mountain West Conference is the conference that has the most kickers on the watchlist with five. Colorado State's Cayden Camper, Boise State's Jonah Dalmas, UNLV's Daniel Gutierrez, and Nevada's Brandon Talton were also semifinalists with Shipley for the Groza Award last season.
"There's a lot of really, really good kickers in this conference, so he's competing—not just with them—but himself, " Sheffield said of Shipley. "He does a really good job of embracing it, and the best part is, he won't let this go to his head. He'll keep his head down, he'll keep his focus, and make sure he'll work really hard to be a finalist for that instead of on a watch list."
Shipley is currently working toward making sure he holds on to his roles as the starting placekicker and punter. Kickoff specialist is another role that could also be in play, but Shipley is leaving that up to the coaches.
"That can be a possibility, but I'm here for whatever they need me for, " he said.
As for individual expectations for 2022 ?
"Just doing whatever I can for my team, helping them out in any way I can, and letting them do their thing too, " Shipley added. "Hopefully it all works together."—
