MOBILE, Ala. – Scott Garber, a sophomore punter on the University of South Alabama football team, recently sat down with USA Athletic Media Relations to discuss the season as well as life off the field.

What are some of the challenges that come with punting?
“One of the biggest challenges is being the only one on the field where all eyes are on you at one time. If you mess up everyone sees it, but when you hit a really good one everyone sees it as well. There are definite pros and cons. You get critiqued pretty hard.”

Do you have a particular routine you go through before each kick?
“A lot of it is mental. I will go through a dry swing; I see the kick before it actually happens. I can pretty much tell you beforehand if it is going to be a good one, just based off of how I feel. If everything is feeling smooth, it’s usually a good punt. Sometimes when I let the conditions get in my head, that is when I tend to mess up. But I get back there, take a dry swing, clear my mind and just go.”

How different is your approach to a pooch punt as opposed to one where you have the entire field to work with?
“A punt is a punt. If I have to make a ball go 35 yards, obviously I’m going to take some leg off of it. But it is the same drop and leg swing. When I punt the ball, I punt at 75 percent; I never swing at 100 percent because I tend to over swing. Trying to kill the ball will never produce a good kick. It’s the same punt; I just try to generate a little more height versus distance on it. Ideally, you want to send the ball out of bounds. It’s more of a directional punt than anything.”

What is a routine practice like for you?
“I’m a little more unique than the rest of the specialists. I’m the first one on the practice field every practice. The only other people up there are the trainers. I go through a regimented routine – a nice run, stretch and I will sit down and get mentally focused. When people start to come out, I’ll start hitting balls. I usually hit 15 to 20 balls before the first period of practice. Then I go through my punt stuff with the team, but from that point on, depending on what day it is during the week, I will do more mechanical stuff – focusing on my drop, bad snaps and stuff of that nature. When I practice, I prepare for everything to go wrong. We don’t practice for things to be perfect because they never are. When the snap is good, it’s usually a good punt. But I always kick into the wind when I practice because kicking with the wind is easier. We do a lot of bad-snap drills, so when I get back there I don’t have to think – it’s just second nature.”

How do you feel the punter can affect the outcome of a game?
“Coach [Joey] Jones puts the most emphasis on the punt team in practice and meetings. We spend more time on punt team than any other special teams as a team unit. I think that just shows the importance of it during a game. Not only can I win a game with field position, but I can also lose it. In a game, I dictate where the ball lies. I hold one of the most underrated positions in the game. Coach Jones let that be known on this team.”

How has [special teams] coach [Tommy] Perry helped you grow as a punter?
“He has helped me tremendously. When I came in, I didn’t know he worked so closely with the punters when he was in NFL Europe and at Alabama. He’s helped me with the mental side of punting – helped me overcome some challenges that I didn’t see coming. He helped me get over the hurdle. He has definitely taken me to the next level.”

Do punters work on tackling?
“Very seldom do we work on it. Obviously, we are the last line of defense on the field and we need to know how to tackle. During [preseason] camp, we will run through a circuit and get taught how to tackle. But coach Perry tells us to do whatever we have to do to get them on the ground. You use the sideline as your friend and try to knock them out of bounds, but we do run through some minimal tackling circuits.”

What were some factors that played into you coming to South Alabama?
“I was pretty heavily recruited coming out of high school. I had taken several visits, and I was really interested in Tennessee. I had an offer on the table with the [Phillip] Fulmer staff. Then he resigned and [former coach] Lane Kiffin called me with different philosophies. So I went from Division I to Division III visits. I was at a small school in Wisconsin, a Division III school, about to meet with that coach when coach Perry called me. He recruited me when he was at Alabama, and told me there was an open spot on the roster and that they were interested in me. I caught the next flight from Wisconsin to Alabama. It happened really quickly. I attended the spring game, and committed on that visit.”

How different is your offseason conditioning program from your teammates?
“This offseason was really unique for me. I took it upon myself to do the offseason training, which, believe it or not, we do the same workout as the rest of the team. With [strength and conditioning] coach [Justin] Schwind, we are expected to lift the same numbers and reps. But I went above and beyond, running extra sprints and started doing cross-country training where I was running between three and five miles per day to give me that edge this season so I’m not just another average punter in the NCAA. I want to increase my personal ranking as well as make the team better and help win games.”

Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
“Hands-down my dad. He was not only my dad but my coach, which created a lot of tension in the house. But he got me to where I needed to be, and molded me as a football player and a man. He played the biggest role on and off the field to help me get to where I am now. He is one of the most avid fans of South Alabama, and doesn’t plan on missing a game through my career. Neither of my parents have missed a game. They have all of their flights, rental cars and everything booked for this season, and if all goes well they are planning on going to Hawaii next year.”

What do you like doing in your spare time?
“I enjoy deep-sea fishing; I’ve done a lot of that this summer. We got some great snapper and cobia fishing in, which is fun. I enjoy spending time with my friends, and my girlfriend and her family – they have taken me in as one of their own. And I play a good bit of golf; that is the big one.”

What do you want to do when your playing career is over?
“Obviously, the NFL is a great dream. But I have come to college and earned a scholarship, and I am taking full advantage of it for my education. I am majoring in exercise science right now, but I am sort of torn between going into physical therapy and going into the business aspect of sales with the exercise companies. I plan on having a successful career, living somewhere near the beach and enjoying my family.”

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