Football at USC arrives Michael Lantz, a kicker on transfer from Georgia Southern
Through the NCAA Transfer Portal, USC adds some special teams support.
Michael Lantz, a transfer kicker from Georgia Southern, committed to USC football on Monday, giving the club some extra special teams support. Lantz joins Auburn receiver Jay Fair, who committed on Sunday, as USC’s second transfer portal commit in the past two days. Lantz is still eligible for one more season.
This past fall, the 6-foot, 190-pound Lantz started 13 games as Georgia Southern’s placekicker. He completed 23 of 28 passes for a 48-yard gain. Along with hitting 45 out of 45 PATs, he set a school record with 23 field goals made. Pro Football Focus awarded him first-team All-Sun Belt. In 2022, Lantz was the Eagles’ go-to guy for kickoff returns, averaging 61.6 yards per attempt over 78 kicks with 26 (33%) touchbacks. This previous season, Lantz was more successful on kickoffs, netting 43 touchbacks out of 61 attempts for a 70.4 touchback %.
Lantz started his career at Minnesota, where he scored 47 PATs while going 8-of-11 as a true freshman. Lantz missed the 2021–22 season due to a groin ailment, thus he transferred to Georgia Southern. Together with defensive back Greedy Vance Jr. (Florida State), wide receiver Kyle Ford (UCLA), and Fair (Auburn), Lantz is the Trojans’ fourth overall transfer portal acquisition.
Coincidentally, Lantz was coached by Clay Helton, the head coach of Georgia Southern and former head coach of USC. Early in the 2021 season, Helton was let go, which allowed USC to appoint Lincoln Riley.
Riley mentioned that following a disappointing unit last autumn, the organization was looking into additional special teams support for 2024.
Lantz will be joining a packed placekicking room that includes redshirt sophomore Denis Lynch, who was placed on scholarship the previous season, and returning starter Denis Lynch. Lynch, who was selected to start in 2022, finished the season 10-of-14 with 65-of-66 extra points. In addition, he made a 53-yard long. Also, All-American 2024 West Hills, California, kicker Ryon Sayeri has committed to USC, and the team will welcome Tyler Robles, a walk-on redshirt freshman who entered in the class of 2023.
The No. 9 kicker in the country, Lantz is from Georgia, and in 2019 the 247Sports Composite rated him as a three-star kicker. Lantz was ranked No. 7 in the class of kickers coming out of high school and as a five-star prospect by Kohl’s Kicking.
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