for uab k delange, practice misses lead to in-game perfection

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - October 25, 2024

Practice is supposed to make perfect. Jonah Delange is perfect on field goals and extra points in his first season handling those duties at UAB.

However, in this case, as strange as it sounds, not being perfect during practice might just have played a big role in Delange being perfect in games.

“I think in a way it helps a lot,” Delange said. “I mean, if you're just making everything, sometimes you kind of get kind of out of it and then that'll make you miss a kick. Like you get prideful or something, that'll make you miss a kick. I think when you miss, then you realize there's always room to grow. I mean, even if (remain perfect in games), do well for the rest of the year, there'll still be room to grow. I just always try to think that I'll never be the best that ever was. I just try to do the best that I can and every single day get better. That's a lot of what Coach Dilfer talks about, just get one percent better every day.”

The 5-foot-10 sophomore from Davidson High in Mobile Alabama is having an elite season thus far. He is perfect on all 14 field goal attempts, including a career-best 51-yarder at Army and a 4-of-4 day at USF, and made all 12 of his extra-point kicks. He is one of six kickers to make all of their field goals thus far and one of four to make double digit field goals without a miss. Only three kickers – Delange, Gino Garcia of Texas Tech and Ben Sauls of Pitt – have double digit field goals and are perfect on field goals and extra points.

Put all that together and Delange has as good of a resume for the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the nation’s top kicker, perhaps as anyone in the country. Not that long  ago, though, his plan was different.

Delange comes from a soccer family. His father coaches the sport and his older brother, Jacob, played collegiately at the University of Mobile. Jonah thought he would choose a similar path but somehow found his way to the football field.

“It was a weird story,” Delange said. “I never really kicked before and I never really thought about kicking, but we were messing around in PE at school in eighth grade. We started kicking the football and our PE teacher, his name was Mr. Brinkley, he saw me kick and he was like, ‘You wanna play football?’ The season was already halfway through and I played with them for a little bit. I didn't know how I wanted to kick in high school either. The coach kind of convinced me to come out. My freshman year was good and sophomore year I stayed out there. By junior year, I knew a lot of the guys and I really enjoyed it.”

He still was torn between playing soccer or football in college. Truth is, he was leaning toward playing soccer, because that was his first sport, but changed his mind when the opportunity arose at UAB. He didn’t show up at UAB with lofty expectations of finding his way on the field right away. Matt Quinn was coming back for his final college season after starting the previous three seasons. Delange was expecting to watch and learn.

Once he arrived on campus, though, Delange saw that the kickoff specialist job was open for competition. So, instead of watching and learning, Delange earned the kickoff role.

“I think it was good experience,” Delange said. “I mean, we played at Georgia, that was a lot of fun and kind of a lot of nerves. I think I just learned a lot by sitting behind Matt and then doing kickoffs as well.  So, this year it's just been a lot easier (to adjust).”

The Blazers had just three specialists – Delange, punter Patrick Foley and long snapper Caleb Moser – on the field in spring practice, so Delange had a good idea he would have first shot at winning the field goal kicker job. He held on to the job in fall camp and now is exceeding expectations one kick at a time.

“I mean, you definitely think about (making every attempt), just because there's always people telling you what you're doing,” Delange said. “But the way I've always heard it, is that just because you make 13 doesn't mean you go make 14. The hold, the snap has to be good too. And I mean, we've done really well this year. Those guys (Moser and Foley) have done really well. And so it's always just the next kick. We do well on one, you got to think about the next one. I’m just trying not to think about and take each game and kick as it comes.”