Fort Worth-area high school kicker, ranked 3rd in the country, commits to UConn
Southlake Carroll kicker Joe McFadden announced his commitment to the University of Connecticut on Thursday. He also had offers from Arizona, Army, Penn and Lafayette.
McFadden is a 5-11 senior for the Dragons and among the best kickers in the state. He’s a 5-star recruit and ranked as the No. 3 2021 kicker in the nation by Chris Sailer Kicking and the No. 11 punter.
“I chose UConn because I thought it was the perfect mix of academics and football,” McFadden said. “It’s one of the top academic schools in the country and it’s a big time football program. The coaches showed that they really were invested in me which is important.
“They also gave me the opportunity to compete for the starting job right away and enroll early at the school.”
Carroll has reached the state quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons and McFadden has played a big part. He scored 76 points in 2018 and followed it with a career-high 105 points last fall.
In that span, McFadden has hit 139 out of a possible 143 extra points (97.2%). He went 84 for 86 in 2019. He made all eight attempts in Week 5 vs. Keller and all 10 in the bi-district round vs. Lewisville. His career-high of 12 points came in Week 3 against Odessa Permian (48-7 win) when he made all six extra-point attempts and both field goals.
McFadden, who has made 14 field goals during the past two seasons with a long of 40 yards, is also Carroll’s punter. In 28 games, McFadden has punted 50 times for an average of 37.2 yards per punt. He’s pinned the opponent inside the 20 16 times with a career-high 10 in 2018.
McFadden was named first-team all-district and first-team all-area as a kicker last season.
“So pumped that all the hard work payed off! One of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around! Big things ahead! Congrats,” said Carroll coach Riley Dodge in a tweet.
The Dragons open the 2020 season at home against DeSoto on Sept. 24.
