Lones Seiber isn't the first college athlete to parlay success kicking a soccer ball into success kicking a football, but his transition has been far swifter than most.

Seiber, a freshman, didn't take up place kicking until late in high school.

"I don't think just anybody can pick it up," said Seiber. "It's something you're born with. It's mostly in your mind."

Seiber, whose father is in the U.S. Air Force, was born in Japan and spent part of his high school career in Germany. Neither place is exactly a bastion of American football, but it is for soccer, and that's where Seiber first put his strong leg to work.

During his senior season at Central High School -- the fourth high school he attended in three different countries -- Seiber nailed 10 of 15 punts. Three of the misses were blocked, and the other two were attempts topping 55 yards.

Seiber initially picked Tennessee last November but changed his mind after the Vols received a commitment from Daniel Lincoln.

"UT's what I wanted. It was my dream school, but UK's a better fit for me," Seiber told the News Sentinel when he committed to Kentucky on Jan. 9.

Seiber was forced to have surgery on a torn right hip in June, and missed most of Kentucky's training camp and didn't start kicking until September. There was serious talk about redshirting him.

"He has unlimited potential," Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. "He has a very strong leg, and his accuracy has improved dramatically."

Louisiana-Monroe's block of a Seiber field-goal attempt last Saturday was the fourth blocked punt or field-goal try against Kentucky this season. It's why Brooks has to give an incomplete grade for his kicking game.

"We've had some huge, major plays in the kicking game in our favor, but we've also had some colossal breakdowns, as witnessed by the blocked field goal," Brooks told The Courier-Journal. "... That just can't happen."

Special teams coach Steve Ortmayer said Seiber might eventually take over kickoff duties, but he is still learning as a place-kicker. Sophomore punter Tim Masthay has struggled on kickoffs and placed two out of bounds last week.

Seiber has made nine of his 15 kicks, but three of those misses were blocks. He is tied for ninth in the SEC in scoring with 56 points.

"Considering he didn't do much all summer or during fall camp, we're pleased with him," Ortmayer told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "We think he's going to just get better and better, and while you might say his percentage isn't great, if you take away those blocks he's at 80 percent, and that's what you look for."

Special Thanks To Nance: Ortmayer's task when he came to Kentucky was to make special teams fun, and Ortmayer takes it as a good sign that he doesn't have to go recruit players to be on the special teams units.

"These guys have bought in to special teams being an opportunity," Ortmayer. "And Coach Brooks has done a great job of selling it as one-third of the package. Guys will come around and ask to be on special teams. They want to be a part of it."

A year after fielding the nation's best overall kick-return game and being the only team to rank in the top five in kickoff and punt returns, the Wildcats are right back at the top of the rankings.

Kentucky leads the nation in punt-return average with 22.1 yards per return, and its 24.6-yard average on kick returns is just short of last year's average of 26.4.

"The returns are as good as they were a year ago, and it's easy to do that when (punt returner) Rafael Little and (kick returner) Keenan Burton are back there returning," said Ortmayer.

Kentucky has also improved on kickoff coverage (fourth in the SEC) thanks to an infusion of young and eager freshmen. One of the stalwarts has been A.J. Nance, a 5-foot-11, 250-pound freshman walk-on and former Central standout.

"We're very excited about him," Ortmayer said.