By Zach West
The Oklahoman
Michael Cohen had just returned from Norman when
he read the news.
Cody Freeby, the starting
punter for Oklahoma, had
been dismissed from the
team for academic and disciplinary reasons.
Cohen, a punter at
Kilgore
College (Texas), said he
couldn't believe it. Just a day
earlier, he had scoffed at family members in Norman who
said he should look into playing at OU.
"It was surreal,
Cohen
said. "I was like, Is this really
happening?' It just fell into
place, and I felt like it was
where God wanted me to go.
In May,
Cohen committed
to walk on at OU in the fall,
possibly providing an answer
to a position that became a
pressing question for OU
after spring practice.
Despite
Cohen's verbal
commitment to Oklahoma,
his arrival on campus was not
a certainty until Wednesday.
Several schools, including
Louisville, had continued to
recruit him. After much discussion with family and former coaches, he decided
Wednesday that OU was still
the place to play. A long talk
with OU coach
Bob Stoops
didn't hurt, either.
"I talked to
Coach Stoops,
and he told me they're depending on me, and they
need me up there,"
Cohen
said. "He made me feel like
he believed in me. I had
given my word (to OU) back
in May, and I don't like going
back on my word."
Now, OU can rest a bit easier with two punters coming
into the fall, setting up a competition between
Cohen and
Mike Knall.
"It's all business,"
Cohen
said. "Competition brings out
the best in people. I'm going
to start. I'm going to win the
job. If I'm going to pay somewhere to play, then I'm going
to bust my (butt) to get the
starting position."
Jimmy Rieves,
Cohen's
head coach at Kilgore, said
OU will be getting the best
punter in
America.
"He's got a very strong leg.
He's consistent, and he's a
very intelligent punter,"
Rieves said. "He was probably our most valuable player."
Until
Cohen decided to
walk on at Oklahoma,
Mike
Knall was the only regular
punter on the
Sooners' roster.
But
Knall had a sub-par
spring camp, capped by distance and accuracy issues in
the Red-White game.
"It was completely new for
me. I had to get used to it,
and I had to adjust."
Knall
said of his experiences in the
spring.
Knall is currently training
in Miami, Florida, at the One
on One Kicking Camp, which
is led by kicking guru
Mike
McCabe.
"Professional golfers all
have their slumps, and they
go to their swing coaches.
Well, I'm here working on my
game with my kicking
coaches," Knall said. "I'm
feeling pretty good, and I'm
murdering the ball."
In Miami,
Knall is working
alongside Sooner place-kicker
Garrett Hartley. After
the spring,
Hartley was asked
by the OU coaches to add
punting to his offseason practice routine. Despite
Cohen's
commitment,
Hartley said he
hasn't been told any different.
"If I have to punt, then I
will, but I don't really want to
be the one to do it."
Hartley
said. "I'm striving to help
Mike (
Knall), to push him to
work and get ready for the
season."
As for the upcoming season,
Knall said it would all
come down to who performs
better.
"If he's (
Cohen) good, he'll
be there. If I'm good, I'll be
there," Knall said. "I just have
to go out there and do my
thing."
Midwest City teammates go out in style
