Camarda shows “tremendous leg,’ continues to develop as Bulldogs’ freshman punter

It took Jake Camarda three tries to etch his name in Georgia’s record books.

In the final moments of a blowout win over Austin Peay, Camarda stood behind his coverage unit at the 37-yard line. Governors’ returner Baniko Harley stood at the 15-yard line, but pedaled back, back and back some more until it was out-of-reach.

Sixty-three yards and a touchback later, Camarda recorded Georgia’s longest punt since Drew Butler’s 75-yard boot on Sept. 5, 2009, against Oklahoma State. Oh yeah, Camarda had a 62-yard punt in the following week against South Carolina … which would’ve also been the longest in ten seasons.

“He’s just bombing them,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said.

It drew amazement from the fans remaining at Sanford Stadium for the season opener, but it was only another display of the long-displayed leg power that brought Camarda a scholarship and eventual starting role.

As Camarda began his high school days at Norcross, he quickly found himself dressing out on Friday nights on the varsity squad. Camarda became the full-time punter as a sophomore and continuously impressed.

“If we were coming off of a big win, you’d see him on the practice field hitting 70-yard punts,” said Norcross assistant coach Heath Herron, who focuses on defensive backs and special teams. “He has a tremendous leg.”

The best in-game display of Camarda’s power was after Norcross had gotten a safety and had to punt from the 20-yard line. It hit the 5-yard line and took a few bounces to the end zone for a touchback. An 80-yard boot left the Blue Devils’ sideline in awe — maybe some in shock as well.

“Did he really just do that?” Herron asked a fellow coach.

Camarda was the do-it-all guy for Norcross’ specialists. He specialized in punting, but could place-kick, hold (also which he does at Georgia) and also be a team leader. Herron saw athleticism from Camarda, which could have involved more than being in the special teams’ group.

“He could’ve been a wide receiver or defensive back for us,” Herron said. “And be good at it.”

Let’s be matter-of-fact here: No, Camarda won’t be practicing anywhere except the special teams’ field atop the hill at the Woodruff Practice Facility. Nevertheless, Herron believes it gives Georgia an option if it wanted to pull a fake.

But before any experiments begin in that regard, the focus is improving Camarda’s hangtime-to-distance ratio. Some of his kicks are sky punts (to try and pin an opponent inside-the-20) and others are full punts (which, in essence, set the distance records).

Camarda has been OK, according to Smart, with matching it to Georgia’s preference thus far. Against Middle Tennessee, however, a few mishaps occurred. For example, the target for a 50-yard punt is a 5-second hangtime, and the benefits are significant when executed.

“I find it very important, because we have a great special teams’ unit,” Georgia wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman said. “If Jake is able to get that hang, it’s hard for anyone to get a return. We are down in their face by the time the ball gets to them.”

Granted, in a small sample size, Georgia has also lacked success in pinning opponents inside-the-20 like it did with Cameron Nizialek last season. On most of Camarda’s punts, they’ve resulted in touchbacks rather than more-advantageous field position for the Bulldogs.

It may be due to more full kicks being implemented over sky kicks, but the big leg also plays a factor. “He probably has to use his pitching wedge instead of his eight-iron sometimes,” Smart said. “That’s something that we always work on.”

Camarda had some directional kicks during his days at Norcross, but Herron believes his work ethic will allow him to develop in that area. He recalled extra work put in on Sundays and private work done with instructors at Kohl’s Kicking Camp for the Bulldog freshman.

If that continues, where could Camarda see himself in the near future?

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that he will be one of the best in the SEC or nation going forward,” Herron said. “I’d be willing to be bet a lot on that, because I see him playing on Sundays one day.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 10:04 AM.