LINCOLN — Kicker Mauro Bondi of Boca Raton, Fla., only got immersed in recruiting this month, but already, he said, he knows college football coaches.
Most of them, according to Bondi, offer empty promises.
Not Bo Pelini and his Nebraska assistants, Bondi said, which explains, more than any other factor, his pledge on Sunday to sign a letter of intent with the Huskers this week.
Bondi accepted an NU scholarship offer during his two-day recruiting visit to Lincoln, filling a key need in this 2011 class. Pelini visited the punter and place-kicker at his West Boca Raton High School two weeks ago before Bondi visited Wake Forest and committed to the North Carolina school.
“I went to (Nebraska) and saw everything he told me about,” Bondi said. “Some coaches will tell you that you can come in and have a (starting) spot. Here, you know you’ve got to compete.”
The Huskers lose seniors from last year in place-kicker and punter Alex Henery — the all-time NU scoring leader and most accurate kicker in NCAA history — and strong-legged kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic.
The chance to follow Henery motivated Bondi.
“That was kind of a reason I chose Nebraska,” he said. “Alex Henery was a great kicker here. I’d like to step in and do as well as he did. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Bondi’s commitment gives Nebraska 18 after junior-college defensive end Joseph Carter announced his choice of NU on Friday. The Huskers may seek to add two or three more recruits by signing day on Wednesday.
The latest acceptance comes less than three weeks after NU lost its kicking recruit of six months as prep All-American Niklas Sade switched his pledge to North Carolina State.
Bondi received little of the same acclaim as Sade or kicker Matt Wile of San Diego, pursued by Nebraska until his commitment a week ago to Michigan. But Bondi, a native of New Orleans, has impressive credentials, nonetheless.
He said he made 7 of 11 field goals as a senior and averaged 43 yards per punt while recording touchbacks on 45 of 55 kickoffs. His longest field goal in high school was 51 yards, though he connected from 62 at a combine event.
“I feel confident from 55,” he said. “My leg strength is, I think, the best out there, from what I’ve been told.”
NU returns walk-on kickers Jon Damkroger, Brett Maher and Jason Dann to compete with Bondi next season.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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