Mt. Spokane kicker Ethan Moczulski commits to Texas A&M: 'It felt like home there'

“It felt like home there," said Moczculski, who Kohl's Kicking calls the best prospect in the west.

Terry Cloer doesn’t have to think back very far to think of how many Division I power five scholarship football players Mt. Spokane’s football has produced since it opened its doors in 1997. 

There was Kellen Clute, a 2011 tight end who went to Oregon State. 

And now there are two. 

Wildcats kicker Ethan Moczulski committed to Texas A&M on Wednesday after a monthlong recruiting tour that also included stops at Clemson, Texas, LSU, Florida State, Washington State and Oregon State.

“I have to pinch myself once in awhile,” Cloer, Who has been Mt. Spokane’s coach for eight years, 15 total in the program, said. “It’s been a pretty cool process.”

Moczulski was immediately impressed by Texas A&M’s campus, surprised by how nice everyone he met was and awe-struck at the Aggies’ nearly 103,000-seat football stadium.

“The atmosphere there was pretty incredible, different than anything else I’ve been to,” he said. “College Station is amazing.

“It felt like home there.”

Moczulski returned to Spokane knowing A&M was his pick, but the Aggies didn’t immediately offer. Before he left, head coach Jimbo Fischer told him they were targeting another kicker: Alex McPherson, the nation’s top kicking prospect. Once McPherson committed to Auburn this week, Moczulski was offered a scholarship. He committed on the spot. 

Once the NCAA’s pandemic-induced in-person recruiting dead period lifted on June 1, Moczulski hit the road. Some schools held camp-like competitions and pitted him against other kickers. Others were more like official visits, centered around one-on-one meetings with coaches. 

Moczulski grew up a high-level club soccer goalkeeper playing for Crossfire, and didn’t seriously go out for American football util his freshman year. He outpaced three upperclassmen to win the starting job midway through the season, and has started ever since.

More colleges started to inquire about Moczulski after he kicked 55-yard field goals in consecutive games during the spring pandemic-shortened high school season (his junior year).

The 2022 Adidas All-American Bowl pick attended several Chris Sailer kicking events around the country in the offseason between his sophomore and junior seasons, where the acclaimed kicking evaluator ranked Moczulski a “5-star” grade which indicates a prospect is good enough to start at a Division I FBS school as a freshman on scholarship.

Kohl’s Kicking, which some consider the top special teams evaluating service, said Mozculski might be the best 2022 kicker in the Western United States.

Cloer’s lone understanding of the kicking recruiting prospect was that of Austin Rehkow, the Central Valley kicker who made headlines for drilling a 67-yard game-tying overtime field goal in 2012. Rehkow’s lone offers were from Idaho and Eastern Washington. 

“He had a huge leg, was a great kicker and punter, he kicked it through the uprights on a kickoff against us on grass,” Cloer said. “We were like, for him to get just [two] offers, how is that possible?

“It’s great the process worked out for (Mozculski) and the school he wants to be at has offered him.”

Mozculski — coaches and teammates call him “Chow” — intended to make his decision before his senior high school season kicked into gear, so he could focus After he announced his commitment, Moczulski’s phone “blew up” with texts, calls and tweets. 

“All my friends and family and coaches,” Moczulski said, “I’ve really appreciated all the support they’ve given me.”