Once too small to for football, Nate Millard has become Golden Bears’ ‘big-leg guy’
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(This story was originally published July 18)
Nate Millard may well leave Kutztown University as the most successful punter in program history – and with the record for longest field goal.
The former isn’t a surprise, considering he averaged 44.3 yards a punt in earning All-State recognition as a senior at Daniel Boone in 2021.
The latter? It’s a surprise only because Millard has had so few chances to kick field goals for the Golden Bears. He’s handled punts and kickoffs for the past three seasons but his opportunities on field goals have been limited: Three attempts in three seasons.
He’s Kutztown’s “big-leg guy,” according to special teams coordinator Gordon Winicov. Anything outside of 45 yards is Millard’s territory.
Those chances haven’t developed often. The Golden Bears have had such a potent offense they rarely need to settle for three points.
Going into halftime last season against Lock Haven, they did. Millard trotted out for a 50-yarder, facing a heavy headwind. As he set up, he heard one of KU’s assistant coaches loudly protesting the decision, thinking he didn’t have enough leg for the kick.
That didn’t deter Millard one iota.
“Nate doesn’t listen to the outside noise,” Winicov said, “he just puts his head down and works. He’s mentally tough.”
Millard, of course, nailed that kick, one of just three 50-yarders last season in the Pennsylvania Conference. (Exeter grad Sean Henry, kicking for West Chester, also had one.)
The field goal broke a 30-year-old Kutztown record.
“That was unexpected,” Millard said, “but it was (still) great.”
Unexpected is a good way to describe Millard’s football journey. He came up as a soccer player at Boone. His friends encouraged him to play football but he just wasn’t built for it. He weighed all of 95 pounds as a freshman.
Blazers coach Rob Flowers was intrigued by the power in Millard’s right leg but had reservations about putting him on the field with guys twice his size.
“He was so light, I didn’t (list) his weight in the program,” said Flowers.
The coach gave Millard precise instructions: Kick the ball, then sprint directly off the field.
“I wasn’t allowed to stay on the field until I was 125 pounds,” Millard said.
He got there by his senior year and even got in on a tackle. When speedy Twin Valley return man Trey Freeman broke contain Millard swooped in and prevented a touchdown.
“Got a shoelace,” he says proudly.
In high school Millard enjoyed kickoffs and field goals much more than punting.
“Punting is very hard,” he said. “There’s a lot more technique, and a lot of small variations that can change things.”
He went to Kutztown hoping to get on the field as a kicker his freshman year but a week before the season-opener his special teams coach at the time, Jim Ketner, told him they needed him to punt.
“When I heard that, I put more focus into punting,” Millard said.
It paid off. He earned second-team all-conference honors as a freshman, when he averaged 40.2 yards per kick. As a sophomore he set a program record by averaging 43.28 yards per punt and and was named to the D2CCA All-Super Region 1 first team, as well as to the All-PSAC first team.
Like most specialists, Millard found punting more challenging than kicking.
“Because it’s harder, I like it more,” reasons the Golden Bears senior. “I like to do things the right way and make it perfect. It’s a lot more satisfying to a hit a good punt than it is to hit a good field goal.
It’s more of a puzzle than field goals.”
Millard entered his junior season with great expectations and, like his team, fell short. One year after reaching the NCAA Division 2 semifinals the Golden Bears were stunned by conference rival Slippery Rock 25-24 in overtime in the second round of the national tournament.
Millard’s goal last season was to earn All-America status but his punting averaged dipped and he didn’t even make all-conference — not even second team.
“That was a big thing for me,” he said. “I didn’t have the year I was expecting.”
Millard’s punting average dropped nearly 3 yards, to 40.3, 10th-best in the conference.
There’s more to it than just the raw average, Winicov points out. He puts heavy emphasis on directional kicking and Millard came through there, both on punts and kickoffs.
“He was asked to do a little bit more (last year),” Winicov said. “I thought he did a much better job. Six times we pinned people inside the 5. With the defense we have, (directional kicking) comes into play immensely. Nate has done an incredible job with that.”
Millard knows he’ll often be punting from midfield and the opportunities to bust a 60-plus punt will be limited. He’s fine with that.
“I’d rather be trying to pin it inside the 5 than kicking it from (our own) 10,” he said. “Our offense is going to be great again this year, so I have to be ready for those moments.”
Kutztown’s average starting field position last season was a jaw-dropping 13 yards better than its opponents; Winicov gives Millard a lion’s share of the credit for that.
“He had 25 touchbacks, and when it doesn’t reach the end zone he does an incredible job with the hang time to allow those guys to run down the field to cover the kickoff, to squeeze the returner and really shrink the space.
“He puts so much hang time on them. Our goal for kickoffs is 3.7 seconds (of hang time); he’s usually around 3.8 to 3.85.”
Millard appreciates his football journey because it’s been so unexpected. He remembers his first day of football at Boone and getting a big hug from Flowers.
“I realized how great football was, how much of a family it was,” he said. “I hadn’t had that with other sports. I wouldn’t change a thing. (I’m playing for a) great team. Winning atmosphere. Got to play my freshman year, which is amazing.”
