Nebraska Football: Gabe Heins can fulfill dreams kicking for Huskers

Gabe Heins has always dreamed of being the kicker for Nebraska football and now he gets his chance.

There is something special about the walk-on program at Nebraska football. The tradition is legendary and when it comes to kicking, the Huskers have a long history of walk-ons making a big impact.

Guys like Brett Maher and Alex Henrey are just two recent examples of walk-on kickers that made the transition from Nebraska football to the NFL. Well, this week, the Huskers brought another Kearney kicker into the fold as a walk-on and that is Gabe Heins.

Heins said that he has been talking to the Huskers since March but he announced late last week that he would join Nebraska as a walk-on, making him the second kicker in the class with Dylan Jorgensen.

Of course, deciding where you are going to play college football is never an easy decision but Heins said he chose Nebraska for a few reasons and one was “An opportunity to play at the highest level,” Heins said in an interview with Husker Corner.

“Most specialists have to walk on an earn a scholarship,” He said. “Nebraska has a history of this happening and I truly do love Nebraska football.”

Being from Kearney, Nebraska, it would be hard not to love the Huskers. But that’s not the only reason Heins chose Nebraska over a slew of other schools that expressed interest. However, instead of taking a scholarship elsewhere, Heins bet on himself.

“It’s been a dream for me since the day I was born,” Heins said. “I have had two family members play for the Huskers, so to see and hear all the amazing experiences they had at UNL makes me want to join the team and compete for the job. I love Nebraska football and it’s been in my blood forever.”

In terms of what Nebraska is getting, Heins is a legit kicking prospect. He was 13-of-19 in the past two high school seasons with a long of 44 yards. He also made 78-of-86 PATs. In addition to field goals, Heins could also offer value as a kickoff specialist.

“I would say accuracy is my strength,” Heins said. “Kickoffs are also a strong suit. My leg is only getting stronger, from my junior to senior year I added on around 15 yards to the end of my kickoffs. I can hit a ball upwards of 75 yards.”

In terms of securing Heins’ commitment, the Huskers had to work for it and Nebraska football first started putting in that time in March. Heins wasn’t recruited by head coach Scott Frost directly, however, he attended the walk-on event held by the Huskers, which helped sell him on the idea of playing at Memorial Stadium and in the Big Ten Conference.

Another thing that brought Heins to Nebraska was a chance to win the job. He isn’t just coming for the show or ceremony, he wants to be the Huskers kicker someday and that battle starts right away, as he will go up against fellow walk-on Dylan Jorgensen to be Barrett Pickering’s backup.

“Coach (Zach) Crespo told me the day he offered me that there would be three place kickers on the roster,” Heins said. “Me, Dylan Jorgensen, and Barret Pickering. He also told me that Dylan and I would be competing for the backup kicker job.”

All any walk-on can ask for is a legitimate chance to compete and with its long history with walk-ons and the new emphasis put on it by Frost, it made the decision for Heins much easier.

“Coach Frost is continuing to improve the Nebraska football program,” Heins said. “The coaching staff at Nebraska played a huge part in my decision to walk on. They treated me like family and they are great people.”

On top of all that, the fact that Frost has Nebraska headed back in the right direction is another reason why Heins and many others are committing to the program, hoping to be part of bringing the program back to its glory days.

“Nebraska’s future is bright,” Heins said. “And I want to play for championships and bowl games.”

Hopefully. the bowl games and championships are just around the corner and you never know, when that time comes, Heins might be living his dream as the Huskers kicker.