Ford Fehling

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-1, 195 lbs.

Play Style

Fehling plays like a kickoff specialist first. He has a smooth, soccer-style approach, generates a lot of leg speed through the ball and finishes high, which is how he gets his touchback rate and 70-plus-yard kickoffs. His field-goal technique is compact and repeatable when he is in rhythm, and Kohl's highlights his command of his best ball rather than raw distance alone. His goalkeeper background shows in his calm demeanor and good balance at contact. He is a reliable, efficient striker rather than a big-swing kicker who lives on pure leg.

Strengths

• Elite kickoff leg: he reportedly had 40 touchbacks on 44 kickoffs in a season and opened 2026 with 5 of 5 touchbacks, including a 71-yarder. Kohl's kickoff scores above 105 at two separate events suggest that is a repeatable skill, not one hot game. Touchbacks are the most college-ready part of his game.
• Can kick, punt and handle kickoffs: Kohl's calls his combo ability 'high level,' with camp punting scores of 92.35 and 100.73 alongside his kicking numbers. Being able to do all three gives Tennessee flexibility on special teams and protects him against depth-chart changes.
• Repeatable technique: Kohl's specifically cited 'elite command of his A ball and excellent coordination.' In other words, his best swing is consistent, which is what separates kickers whose strong camp numbers carry over to games.
• Track record and makeup: he earned first-team all-state, Charlotte Friday Night Lights Specialist of the Year and Southern Carolina Conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors as an underclassman, and he plays goalkeeper for a state champion. Both point to someone comfortable in high-pressure moments, and he carries a 4.0 GPA.

Areas to Improve

• Field-goal accuracy has to catch up to his leg. He went 2 of 3 in the 2026 opener, and his field-goal results lag his kickoff scores. College kickers win jobs by making 40-to-50-yard kicks reliably, not by touchbacks alone. He needs to tighten his approach and plant consistency so his misses stay inside the uprights.
• Splitting time between football and soccer limits his kicking-specific practice. To win a college kicking job, he will need year-round specialist training: football strength work for leg power, more reps from the left and right hashes, and holder-snapper timing. A heavy goalkeeper workload can make that harder in the spring.
• Punting is still a secondary skill. His camp punting scores are solid, but improving hang time and directional placement would make him a true two-way specialist instead of a kicker who can punt in an emergency.

College Projection

He has a realistic shot at Tennessee's kickoff job as a true freshman in 2027, since his touchback rate already translates and kickoffs are the easiest special-teams role for a young specialist to win. He should compete for the field-goal job by his second or third year as his accuracy matures, and he gives the staff backup punting depth throughout. If his field-goal consistency improves, he projects as a multi-year starter who handles both kickoffs and field goals, the role Crabtree recruited him for.

Best Fit

Fehling fits best with a Power 4 program that has a dedicated special teams coordinator and uses its kicker on kickoffs as well as field goals, which describes Tennessee under Evan Crabtree. Kicking outdoors in the SEC suits a strong-legged kicker who can drive the ball through wind and late-season weather. A program that values directional kickoffs and touchback control, and that can develop him into a combined field goal and kickoff starter, will get the most out of him.