UNLV newcomers bring new heights of experience to kicking game

Joe Lang won’t be confused with Kelly Leak, the long-haired, motorcycle-riding rebel in the original “The Bad News Bears” movie. But the UNLV long snapper is a long-haired, motorcycle-riding Rebel in his own right.

“His hair tells you a lot about him,” UNLV senior kicker Nicolai Bornand said, jokingly. “It’s that Washington State hair.”

Lang, a sophomore walk-on, sat out last season after transferring from Washington State, the Pac-12 school located in his hometown of Pullman, where his father, David, is the director of strength and conditioning.

“I grew up around Pac-12 athletics. It was a pretty fun childhood,” said Lang, who snapped in three games as a freshman for the Cougars. “They had a coaching change at Washington State, and I felt I would be a better fit somewhere else.”

Once the domain of centers, every team in the NFL now has a designated long snapper. Aside from the times a botched snap affects the outcome of a game, long snappers remain virtually anonymous because of their highly specialized roles on the field, and Lang would like to keep it that way at UNLV.

“Being a long snapper is a pretty obscure job. There’s no real glory,” he said. “You’ve just got to make sure you do your job every time and make sure nobody knows your name.

“I really like that pressure. The pressure’s my favorite part about it.”

Bornand and sophomore punter/kicker Evan Pantels also embrace the inherent pressure in their positions.

“That’s the whole point of being a kicker. I think all kickers enjoy that the most,” Bornand said. “That’s the adrenaline rush I get.”

Bornand, who booted a career-long 54-yard field goal in 2014, made 12 of his first 14 field goals last season before missing his final three attempts.

“He was a little injured toward the end of last year,” Rebels coach Tony Sanchez said. “He can boom the ball. We’ve just got to keep him healthy, because at the end of the year he kind of had a dead leg.”

Pantels, a junior college transfer from Georgia Military College who began his career at Georgia State, was brought in primarily as a punter to replace three-year starter Logan Yunker. But he’s also a capable kicker who made a 53-yard field goal in high school at the Georgia Dome.

“The great thing about him is he can kick and punt at a high level, which is a big deal,” Sanchez said. “Now Nico’s got a legitimate backup, if he keeps his job, and Nico can also punt, so now we’ve got two who can do either/or.”

Bornand said he welcomes the competition and Pantels especially enjoys their longest-field-goal contests. For the record, Bornand nailed a 60-yarder in practice Friday to edge Pantels, who hit a 58-yarder.

“We each have our days,” Pantels said. “He definitely pushes me. Any time I do something wrong, he can help critique me and vice versa.”

Pantels’ main focus is on punting, where Yunker averaged a career-best 42.5 yards last season.

“I already made a deal with my dad that I’m going to try to get a 43-yard average. That’s the goal,” Pantels said. “I’ll keep pushing myself every day and hopefully fill his shoes and make a smooth transition.”

Pantels, who averaged 39.3 yards per punt last season, with a long of 69, had high praise for Lang.

“He’s an amazing snapper,” he said. “He’s one of the most consistent guys I’ve ever met. He puts it right on the hip every time.”

A three-sport athlete at Pullman High, the 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound Lang saw long-snapping as a way to play college football.

“I was a little too slow to be a linebacker and a little undersized to be a defensive lineman, so it was kind of the perfect fit,” he said.

As for Lang’s locks, Pantels said looks can be deceiving.

“He’s a pretty conservative guy,” he said. “That hair tricks you.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow on Twitter: @tdewey33