By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

Throughout his high school career Jose Borregales had no kicking peer on his Booker T. Washington football team or for that matter in the state of Florida.

Borregales was a three-time all-county selection and the kicker on the All-State team in 2015. A year later Borregales arrived at FIU and was faced with competition for the first time in his football career.

FIU's kicker at the time, Austin Taylor, was a senior and a four-year starter. Borregales tried to unseat Taylor last year but didn't and took a redshirt.

"Back in high school I was the only kicker so I did everything," Borregales said. "My first year at FIU I had to get used to the fact that there was someone in front of me and I had to beat him to get the spot. At first it played with my head. I started feeling like I wasn't good enough. But [FIU punter] Stone Wilson talked to me and told me don't worry about it just do what you know how to do and that's kick."

Borregales did that and will be FIU's kicker when the Panthers open the 2017 season at Central Florida on Thursday night. FIU Coach Butch Davis said Borregales will handle field goals and extra points while junior college transfer Sean Young will take care of kickoffs.

"To be honest leading up to the game I'll be a bit nervous with it being my first college game but after warmups it will be like another game," Borregales said.

Borregales, who was one of the most accurate kickers in the state hitting 13 of 14 field goals in 2015, received some help from a former NFL punter during the spring.

Borregales had always been a three-step kicker but after meeting with former Green Bay Packers punter Bill Renner, the father of FIU football director of recruiting Bryn Renner, he got quicker to the ball.

"Bill changed me from a three-step kicker to a two-step kicker which made me faster to the ball," Borregales said. "Despite the change I was able to stay smooth in my motion and keep my timing. After what Bill did my timing is crazy fast. Momentum makes the kick and I feel like I have that."

Young was enrolled in classes at UCF in Orlando but never played for the Knights football team. Young transferred to ASA College in Miami where he was a kicker/punter.

Young was also a kicker/punter in high school at Admiral Farragut – the same high school that produced FIU teammates Napoleon Maxwell and Brad Muhammad.

More experienced as a punter, Young has been adjusting to kicking at FIU.

"I'm more of a punter but I'm making the transition to kicker," Young said. "I'm pretty happy where I'm at now. I've made some long field goals and have been kicking off. Getting the timing down on field goals has been the biggest challenge. The timing here is a lot quicker than in JUCO. I think I've done a pretty good job. I just need to stay in my rhythm."