Adams: Wilhoit lining up attempt at NFL

"I'd like to be in control of the game," he said. "That's one reason I liked being a kicker. The game was in my hands."

He relished the responsibility of deciding football games for four years at the University of Tennessee and before that as an All-American high school kicker in Hendersonville. But now, the kicker in control has become the kicker in limbo.

And his career is in somebody else's hands.

Making the NFL is a long shot for anybody. It's even longer for a kicker.

Wilhoit once decided a Tennessee-Florida game with a 50-yard field goal with six seconds to play. A 50-yard field goal is a chip shot compared to making the NFL as a kicker.

You have 32 NFL teams, and none of them stack placekickers on their depth chart. They pick one and send the rest on their way. And when their pick falters, they return to the recycle bin, where there's usually a Gramatica or two awaiting a second, third or fourth chance.

Wilhoit knows the NFL prefers recycled kickers to rookie ones. He knows that other college kickers are rated ahead of him. He knows the odds. But

"I don't want to be 40 years old, looking back and say, 'I could have played in the NFL,' " he said. "It's a goal and a dream, so you want to take it as far as you can."

The dreamer has a plan. He said he will give himself three years to make it in the NFL, then consider other options.

Those other options might include sports.

"I love sports," he said. "I love being a part of sports."

Wilhoit, who has a graduate degree in sports psychology, has thought about attending UT law school, adding that he could help instruct UT kickers at the same time. He also has thought about being a special-teams coach.

Those are backup plans for now. He is working out, practicing his craft, and conferring with his agent prior to next weekend's NFL draft and the free-agent negotiations that follow in earnest.

"The two hours after the draft are a very busy time (for free-agent signings)," he said. "It's almost like the recruiting process."

"You want to try to get to a couple of places where there's a place to compete. You want to try to avoid teams where they have established kickers."

Kansas City has expressed the most interest in Wilhoit. Its special-teams coach took Wilhoit out to dinner when he was in Knoxville and emphasized that if the Chiefs signed him, he would have a chance to compete for the starting job.

You don't have to look further than last year's playoffs to understand their interest. Lawrence Tynes missed a 23-yard field goal in the Chiefs' playoff lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

That doesn't mean Wilhoit is at the top of the Chiefs' list. A number of other college kickers are rated ahead of him. ESPN didn't list him among its top 20 kicking prospects for the draft, and Pro Football Weekly ranked him 20th.

Four years ago, Wilhoit was No. 1. He was a first-team Parade All-American, and three different recruiting services rated him as the top kicker in the country.

But he was eliciting rave reviews as a kicker long before then.

A friend nicknamed him "Thunderfoot" as a kid. A middle-school football coach watched him kick a soccer ball and declared, "You're gonna be the kicker on our team."

After watching Wilhoit in practice for the Tennessee-Kentucky all-star game, a high school coach said, "When he hits the ball, you know something happened. It makes a sound like Dick Butkus hitting somebody."

Wilhoit's kicking ability might have been obvious, but it was honed through years of practice. Since he finished his career's as UT's second all-time leading scorer, Wilhoit has continued to practice, albeit with a different football.

"The (NFL) ball is a little firmer, a little bigger," Wilhoit said. "I like kicking with the NFL ball."

He would like even more to kick that ball in a real game. But for now, the game isn't in his hands.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.