2029 specialist Simon Picinich is one of the top recruits in his class.
Rated a five-star kicker by Kohl’s, he holds an offer from Rutgers and has been drawing interest from schools like Penn State and Temple.
Syracuse is the most recent school to offer Picinich, and he’s looking forward to getting to know the program better.
"I was very happy about the offer,” Picinich said. "I was shocked that they offered me mid-season which was crazy.”
Picinich likes the concept of kicking in a Dome
The Red Bank (NJ) Catholic is plenty familiar with Syracuse with the Orange having made a strong push under the Fran Brown coaching staff.
"As an NJ recruit I am honored to be one of those recruits from NJ that they offered,” Picinich said. “It is truly a blessing.”
One of the advantages of a specialist being recruited by SU is the environment they play in.
At least six games a season, a kicker will be inside the friendly confines of the JMA Wireless Dome, and not have to compete with wind or other elements.
"I do think a Dome for a stadium does help a kicker,” Picinich said. “Then we don’t have to think about wind and rain or snow and just be able to hit our best ball every kick. (We can go) without worrying about things like that because that definitely gets in a kickers head.”
Picinich is one of the top prospects in his class
Picinich, who also punts, rated fifth overall in the entire camp (regardless of age) at the 2026 Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp with a score of 115.22, including a big ball of 79 yards and 3.61 seconds of hang time.
"I think I have a good mentality and confidence when going into a kick,” Picinich said. “Even if I miss, I think I do a great job just saying whatever and moving on to the next kick.”
He’s also quick to credit the people around him for his success.
"I do have to thank my long snapper for helping me out with that,” Picinich said. “As a freshman, if I missed a kick, I would get really down on myself. But he definitely helped me just be cool about it and just say that that kick happened in the past, and we just got to move onto the next one.”
Red Bank is one of the top programs in the Garden State, and the Caseys are off to a 5-2 start. They’re coming off a 31-28 win over Rumson-Fair Haven, with Picinich kicking what would be the go-ahead and game-winning score in the fourth quarter.
"My season is going great so far,” Picinich said. “As a team, I think we can go very far in the playoffs and possibly win a state title."
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