Chiles' Bobby Engstler gets Under Armour All-American game selection, 14th Big Bend player to receive honor

Bobby Engstler's journey to becoming an Under Armour All-American began when he was eight years old.

Like many kickers, Engstler played soccer and football while trying to figure out which sport he wanted to play. The now senior at Chiles remembers the moment he first started kicking a football during his days as a Pop Warner player.

"I was about eight at the time and I was the only kid on my team who played soccer, and we needed someone to kick the ball off. So I did it," Engstler said. "After I had been doing it for about a year I got picked up by some coaches who saw potential in me and I just started training from there."

That training paid off for Engstler, who is the number one combo kicker/punter, ranked as the 11th-best kicker in the nation and the third-best punter. The senior is rated as a five-star prospect in both positions by Kohls Kicking, a camp for the nation's top football specialists, and now an Under Armour All-American.

In a pregame ceremony before Chiles's week eight matchup with Leon, Engstler received his Under Armour (UA) All-American jersey, the Big Bend's 14th UA All-American selection, and the first in Timberwolves football history. Engstler earned his selection by winning the Kohl's Kicking National Scholarship Camp in July.

The UA All-American game hosts more than a hundred of the nation's elite high school football players in early January for a showcase game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

This season Engstler has 20 touchbacks, with his kickoffs totaling 1546 yards, averaging 67.2 per kick, and is perfect on field goals and points after touchdowns (PATs), going 13/13. On the punting side, he is averaging 44.1 yards per punt, with 11 of his 15 total punts ending up inside the 20-yard line.

Adding All-American honors to his growing high school football resume, Engstler credits his training with both college and NFL kickers as something that helped him shape his kicking style and develop him into the player he is today.

"I've always kicked with older kickers, and even when people told me not to, I've always managed to try to compare myself to them, which was not a good idea, but I did it anyways," Engstler said. "I was comparing myself to them from the standpoint that I was the same as them. Even though they were older I was able to keep up and do the things that they were doing and it just kept me going."

The senior will soon be a college kicker, holding offers from a number of universities, including Florida State, Florida and Ole Miss. When looking at where he wants to go to school, Engstler wants a coaching staff that will motivate him to get better and help him reach his goals of playing at the highest level.

"What I look for is a special teams coach that can really help me improve, I want someone to be over my head telling me what to do so I can make it big and make it out," Engstler said. "I also want people that will appreciate me as a kicker, not just be like 'Oh, you're just a kicker,' I want someone who appreciates me for what I do."

Engstler's desire to be one of the country's best kickers stems back to the first time he was ranked as a player, being rated the top kicker in the nation when in eighth grade.

"I was kind of shocked because I didn't think I was that great," Engstler said about his first ranking. "I'm more one of those guys who thinks I can always do better. Even if I do come out on top of everything, I think there are a lot of ways to improve."

After being ranked the top kicker in the nation in middle school, going into high school Engstler was motivated to prove his ranking was correct. Throughout his high school career, he ranked consistently as one of the nation's best kickers and punters.

"It was motivating, I just kept going kept doing the same things and slowly progressing," Engstler said. "There were times where I got ranked down a little bit and that was my real motivation, I was like 'Man, I know I can do better."

Even with all he has achieved so far, Engstler is self-motivated by a desire to not let himself or anyone who supports him down, wanting to help his family by getting a free college education.

One of the biggest support groups for Engstler during high school has been the Chiles students section. A fan favorite, the senior often receives chants of "Bobby, Bobby, Bobby" from the crowd, especially during the kicker's halftime warmups, something that has pushed Engstler to continue to play at his best and one of the things he'll miss when his time on the turf at Lawton Chiles comes to an end.

"It means a lot to me. A lot of those people, they're all my friends," Engstler said. "Just to know that I have that kind of support just keeps me going and really excites me too. You'd think that maybe you'd get nervous over it but it just gives me a confidence boost."

Past Big Bend All-America selections

2023

Raylen Wilson, Lincoln

2019

Raymond Woodie III, Florida High

Tarian Lee, Godby

Travis Jay, Madison County

2017

Grant Glennon, Lincoln

2016

Keith Gavin, Wakulla

2015

John Burt, Lincoln

D'Anfernee McGriff, Leon

2014

Jacob Pugh, Godby

2013

Ira Denson, Madison County

2009

Jacobbi McDaniel, Madison County

Chris Thompson, Madison County

Gary Brown, West Gadsden

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bobby Engstler gets Under Armour All-American selection, first in Chiles history