The UCLA football team received another commitment on Friday from a punter with a familiar name… Collin Flintoft, cousin of Stefan.
The UCLA football team received their fourth commitment in a week as Collin Flintoft (Loyola/Los Angeles, CA) has given his pledge to play for the Bruins.
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Despite the commitment, he looks as if he will be joining the team as a preferred walk-on. According to 247Sports, Flintoft is simply listed as a hard commit to the 2018 recruiting class (he will be joining the team this summer/fall) but it does not state whether or not he will receive a scholarship.
With a lot of careful thought and prayer, I have committed to play football for UCLA. The opportunity to play for the team I grew up rooting for and play with family is a dream come true. I am very grateful for the faith that my parents and the UCLA coaches have in me. Go Bruins! pic.twitter.com/lhYQ6yoBXa
— Patrick Patrick (@surwb5up) June 23, 2018
Regardless if he has a scholie or not, his commitment comes at a very crucial time. Collin’s older cousin, redshirt senior Stefan Flintoft, is currently the starting punter for the Bruins. Before this week, UCLA only had Stefan on the roster as former starting punter Austin Kent had left the program just over a week ago.
If the younger Flintoft possesses the talents of his older cousin, than the Bruins should be in good hands in the next few seasons.
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According to the Chris Sailor Kicking site, “Punting is a strength. He hits a nice consistent ball. Great potential here. Like his all around upside.” According to 247Sports.com, Flintoft is the #9 punter at his position. He even has a 5-star rating from KohlsKicking.com.
One thing new UCLA football head coach Chip Kelly wants to do is quickly move the ball down the field and give both the offense and defense good field position. Special teams is going to be very important in this aspect, especially in the first two years of the Kelly era as he starts to shape the team to his liking.
During the spring, it was clear that the offense will still need some time to get up to speed. Though they are on the right track, it will be a while before they are a well-oiled machine, similar to the teams that were fielded when Kelly was at Oregon.
If they cannot move the rock this fall, they are going to have to pin it as far back as possible, giving the defense a chance to make some plays in-game. That is something Stefan Flintoft was especially good at last season.
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The commitment of Collin Flintoft will keep some consistency with the team’s transition and hopefully continue the improvements we saw in the special teams department last season. Either way, it is good to have some backup. Welcome to Westwood, Collin!