By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Mason Crosby has heard all of his critics loud and clear. He’s only a good kicker because he has the altitude of Colorado on his side; he never kicks in pressure situations. The detractors have their reasons, but none more so than the fact that Crosby has a type of confidence in himself that defies his position.

Most kickers don’t go into football games with the self-assuredness and borderline cockiness that Crosby possesses. To wit, there’s almost no distance from which Crosby thinks he will miss.

“I have hit in practice from 70 yards,” Crosby said. “But I feel confident anywhere inside of 65, 60 yards.

“I always feel confident. I have a good strong leg. I have been accurate all through college inside 50 yards. I’m just going to keep improving and keep consistent, that’s the biggest thing.”

It is that leg strength combined with that ultra-confidence that has Crosby in position to be the first kicker drafted when the NFL Draft convenes in a little more than two weeks.

Like most kickers, Crosby didn’t always have designs on playing the position. At Georgetown High in Lubbock, Texas, Crosby played a variety of positions and succeeded. He was a safety on defense and played a little receiver for the offense.

But it didn’t take long to realize that his best bet to get a college education was as a kicker.

“I played everything all the way through senior year,” Crosby said. “But I decided to focus on kicking as an option to get to college. It was a dream of mine. Once I started kicking, I realized the natural ability and started working technique. And it kind of become my goal and dream.”

Crosby began to realize that dream when he accepted a scholarship to kick at Colorado. Playing at an elite football program was only a part of fulfilling his dream. He became a starter as a true freshman in 2003 and immediately made an impact.

He hit seven of nine field goals and showed the type of leg strength that could make a difference on kickoffs. And kicking in the thin air of Boulder was nothing but positive for his already powerful leg.

Crosby became a first-team All Big 12 Conference selection as a sophomore when he converted 23 of 29 field goals including a 60-yarder against Iowa State. That kick opened the eyes of opponents and NFL scouts.

For Crosby, though, the kick came as no surprise. In the thin air of Boulder, Crosby routinely hits kicks from around 70 yards. Crosby continued his ascent to becoming the nation’s best kicker in his final two seasons for the Buffaloes.

Along the way, he started to hear all of the questions about his ability to kick under normal circumstances. The critics insist that Crosby only had success because of the thin air.

“I don’t feel like I have to explain it that much,” Crosby said. “I get that occasionally that it must be nice to kick in the altitude but I have a lot of stats from places other than Colorado where I have done well. I am not worried about it. I don’t see any issues with that.”

Indeed, Crosby proved himself just fine as a junior. In Colorado’s game against Miami, Crosby hit a 58-yarder at sea level. That kick proved Crosby is capable of kicking in any climate at any time.

“In Colorado, you play in a lot of that,” Crosby said. “I think I have played in every type of weather I can think of. I love the challenge. Kicked at Iowa State in a tornado and had one of the best games of my career.”

Crosby finished his career with another solid season as a senior and established himself as the unquestioned top kicker or punter in this year’s draft. With that, Crosby figures to land somewhere in the first three rounds.

In addition to his place kicking prowess, Crosby has the ability to be a real weapon in the kicking game. For the Buffaloes, Crosby kicked off 203 times with 138 touchbacks.

Still, Crosby has plenty to prove in terms of kicking outside of Colorado and also had some issues with having kicks blocked in his final season. There’s no doubting he will be the first kicker taken and Crosby believes he can continue his consistency at the next level.

“It’s all kind of a mental process,” Crosby said. “I do the same swing, same kick I have had forever and just trust that it’s going to be there.”