Pickering emerges as a top prep kicker
When his career-best 49-yard field goal cleared the uprights by a good 5 yards or more, fans at Tuscaloosa County High School began asking, “Who is this guy?”
Hoover junior kicker Barret Pickering has been a key weapon for Hoover this season, placing more than 70 percent of his kickoffs for touchbacks, punting inside the 20 on multiple occasions, and being on a record-breaking pace for field goals and extra points.
Hoover head coach Josh Niblett joked he should have backed up that September kick a few more yards to give Hoover its first 50-yarder. In time, it will come.
“Distance doesn’t really matter. I just go out there, and they’re all the same kicks,” Pickering said, who kicked four field goals from 40-plus in September.
“He’s just money. He’s a kid that works his tail off every day. He works to master his skill. He’s done an unbelievable job of that,” Niblett said. “Every time we come out, I kind of know where he’s good from. He’ll talk to you and let you know how he’s feeling.”
Pickering first saw varsity action in 2015, connecting on 12-of-12 PATs and 5-of-8 field goals, including his first multiple field goal game in the 7A semifinal loss at Spain Park.
This year, through eight games, Pickering already had a school record with 16 made field goals and was 100 percent on his point-after tries. His early highlights this season include three field goals against Central-Phenix City, four field goals against both Mountain Brook and Spain Park and two against Tuscaloosa County, the 49-yarder to tie for longest in program history.
The school record for points by a kicker in a season is 105 by Michael Mahon in 2002, while the AHSAA record for field goals made in a season is 22.
“I’m not really worried about records in particular. Just making field goals is more important,” Pickering said.
A soccer player in his early years, Pickering began playing football in middle school. By his freshman year, he decided to step away from soccer and focus on a future in football to play in college and “however long it takes me.”
“It was a hard decision to let go of something you’ve been doing for 12 and 13 years,” he said.
His decision has paid off. After attending several national camps in 2015, Pickering, a five-star recruit, has moved to No. 2 on the KohlsKicking.com list of kickers for the Class of 2018.
He’s already attracted attention from Rutgers, North Carolina and Notre Dame, which he unofficially visited Sept. 24.
“He’s got a great opportunity in front of him. He’ll stay hungry, and he’ll stay humble, because that’s the kind of kid he is. I think he’ll be a special player for anybody, because anytime you pass the 30-yard line and give that guy an opportunity, he’s going to put it through the uprights,” Niblett said
The biggest key for Pickering is consistency and his “just kickin’ it” attitude, as his Twitter profile reads.
“My personality in general is pretty laid back. I don’t overstress on kicks or anything, and it just helps me play better,” he said.
“He’s a kid that doesn’t let anything rattle him. He’s locked in and focused on what he’s got to do, and the thing about it is he doesn’t change anything,” Niblett said. “He kicks extra points and field goals the same way. He’s just smooth. He takes a good swing at it. He’s got a great, powerful leg.”
Pickering said he hopes to have plenty more kicks this season, which he hopes continues all the way to the Super 7 in Auburn.