Tyler Loop’s College Coach, Kicking Trainer Believe He Can Handle Pressure of High Expectations
As the first kicker drafted in Ravens history and the presumed successor to seven-time Pro Bowler Justin Tucker, Tyler Loop will be under a microscope in his rookie season.
Two people who have worked closely with Loop told The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer that he has the makeup to succeed in the NFL.
“The young man was clutch,” said Danny Gonzales, who was the University of Arizona’s special teams coordinator in Loop’s senior season. “He’s the kind of guy that wants that pressure. He wants that opportunity. It’s never, ‘Let’s go score a touchdown.’ It’s always: He wants it to come down to him. And he has ultimate confidence in his ability, which is well deserved.”
Gonzales said he often reminded Arizona Head Coach Brent Brennan of Loop’s range when the team crossed midfield last season.
“He can routinely hit field goals from 70 yards like [they’re] nothing,” Gonzales said. “I would get on the headset and tell [Brennan], ‘Hey, man, you’ve got the opportunity to kick this if we want it’ — which just sounds silly. But Tyler had that much of a leg that we always had that confidence.”
Jamie Kohl, a specialist trainer who has worked with some of the top kickers in college football and the NFL, said Loop, who has attended Kohl’s camps since he was a high school sophomore, “has as much leg talent as anyone we’ve had.”
Kohl added that talent alone does not guarantee success in the NFL, but he believes Loop is prepared to make the most of his opportunity.
“It’s going to be showing up every day and just being a consistent player, where the head coach, the special teams coach, his teammates, everybody believes in him,” Kohl said. “And I do think he’s welcoming that challenge.”