LSU 2022 Commit Nathan Dibert Excited to Join Fraternity of Successful Placekickers
Nathan Dibert was wrapping up a successful workout with Texas when his phone rang. LSU special teams coordinator Greg McMahon was on the other end of the call and wanted Dibert to come to Baton Rouge for a workout.
Set to return home to Hartland, Michigan, Dibert immediately adjusted course and scheduled a flight to come check out the LSU facility and work out for the program. It was an eye opening two days for Dibert, the No. 2 kicker in the country according to Kohl's 2022 kicker rankings.
In addition to being one of the top kickers on Kohl's, Dibert ranks No. 2 in kicking at Kornblue Kicking as well. The camps, which have been running for numerous recruiting cycles now have ranked and evaluated some of the best kickers in the country.
After getting off the plane, Dibert kicked for LSU two hours later and had an unofficial visit the next day where he toured the facilities and met some of the players, including current LSU kicker Cade York. Since Cole Tracy back in 2018, LSU has had a successful string of kickers over the years and the special teams group as a whole has developed their own fraternity among the players.
With Dibert making his commitment decision in the last week, both Tracy and York were front and center to congratulate the newest member of the special teams fraternity.
"From what I've heard, Cade York said he was really impressed with me," Dibert said. "He thought that my work ethic and how focused I am about my business and I really appreciate that. They've been really supportive throughout this process, thanked me on social media and telling me about how my future is going to be bright."
Dibert believes the biggest strength in his game at the moment is his power and that his accuracy is not far behind. He feels he's made immense strides over the last several months with all aspects of his kicking and his recruitment has blown up as a result.
At the end of the day, kicking is very much a mental aspect of football and having the right mindset is important for each and every player. For Dibert, his process is simple, just treat every kick like it's a 60-yarder.
"I always view every kick as it's a 60-yard field goal. I treat everything the same," Dibert said. "The swing's the same, everything's set up, chest up, head up, to make sure the swing is the same every single time to make sure the ball goes through the uprights. From all of these camps and games, all I zone in on is the holder, the snapper and the ball."
Schools like LSU had not even been in contact with Dibert until the middle of June, when Kohl's updated its kicking rankings and many prominent programs began reaching out. It was all a bit overwhelming for Dibert, who's happy the visit to LSU made the decision such an easy one for him.
The hope is that Dibert can get back to Baton Rouge for a game this fall before officially joining the program but the focus for now will be to continue working on his game.
"The whole entire staff and the players are so welcoming and they were family oriented," Dibert said. "After I left that campus I knew there was something really great about it. That's what made me really excited to go there."
