VOTE NOW: Hurricanes Bracket Voting By Fans To Determine All-Time Best Miami Kicker/Punter

CaneSport is billed as the ultimate fan site, and now we’re seeking to uncover the ultimate Miami Hurricane. Over the next several weeks we will be unveiling our all-time top eight Canes at each position … and then it’s up to you, the fan, to vote in our tournament-style bracket to advance players to the final round. In the end, each position will have a victor. And then we will pit those players against each other to determine the All-Time Miami Hurricanes GOAT.

QB GOAT NOMINEES … RB GOAT NOMINEES … WR GOAT NOMINEES … TE GOAT NOMINEES … OL GOAT NOMINEES … DL GOAT NOMINEES… LB GOAT NOMINEES …DB GOAT NOMINEES …

Along the way we’ll be figuring out our first- and second-team All-Miami Hurricanes Offense, Defense and Special Teams.

VOTE NOW: Miami Hurricanes GOAT PK/P

Each of our position breakdowns will include our top group, and those that didn’t make the cut but were highly deserving. We chose these after a CaneSport editorial meeting looking at all the top players over the years.

Now it’s your turn to decide the winner. We will wait 48 hours for everyone to get their votes in each round and then move along. Ties will be broken by an extended runoff.

Today’s voting is for the All-Time Miami Kicker/Punter GOAT. Below are your eight finalists, and those that came close to making the cut. You can vote for your choice BY CLICKING HERE. Each nominee is listed in alphabetical order, and selections are based on their Miami career only:

NOMINEE: MICHAEL BADGLEY

Making The Case: Badgley (2014-17) was a three-time All-ACC honoree including first team honors in 2017 when he became Miami’s all-time field goal leader with two field goals against Notre Dame on Nov. 11, moving past Carlos Huerta’s prior school record of 73 with 77 career made field goals. He ended his career with 403 points scored. As a senior he was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist after making 17 of 23 kicks. As a junior he made 21 of 26 and his sophomore year he set a Miami record that still stands with 25 made field goals (out of 30 attempts). He also hit a career-long 57-yarder that season. As a freshman in 2014 he played in 11 games and made 14 of 18 kicks.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “Badgley was Mr. Reliable during a tough time for Miami football his first couple of years, and you could argue he was the team’s MVP in 2015 when there wasn’t a lot to write home about on Miami’s offense or defense.”

NOMINEE: ANDY BORREGALES

Making The Case: After taking over the job from his brother Jose, the bar was set high for Andy (2021-2024). He earned All-ACC honors all four years he played and was a Groza Award Semifinalist in 2023 and 2024. Borregales finished his career with a school-record 405 points and ended with 86 percent accuracy. As a senior he was almost perfect with 18 of 19 made field goals, including a 56-yarder, and in ’23 he hit 22 of 26 with all the misses over 40 yards. In 2022 as a sophomore he finished 17-for-20 with a long of 49 vs. FSU, and as a freshman he made 17 of 21 attempts including a 55-yarder. His 74 field goals made is second all-time behind Michael Badgley.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “He took over the starting job as a freshman with massive shoes to fill and never flinched.”

NOMINEE: JOSE BORREGALES

Making The Case: Borregales was only at Miami for one season (2020) after transferring in from FIU, but boy did he make a case for himself as the Canes’ GOAT kicker. He became the only Miami kicker to win the Lou Groza Award and was a consensus All-American after finishing 20-for-22 on field goal attempts and a perfect 37-for-37 on extra point attempts. He finished 9-for-11 on field goals of 40 yards or longer and perfect 11-for-11 on field goals shorter than 40 yards. Plus he had 51 touchbacks on 72 kickoff attempts. Oh, and he tied the Miami record by making a 57-yard field goal.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “Researching him, how about this factoid I found – he was Miami’s first consensus All-American since Antrel Rolle in 2004.”

NOMINEE: MATT BOSHER

Making The Case: Bosher carried the Phil Collins hit “In the Air Tonight” on his iPod, an appropriate song for placekickers and punters. And Bosher (2007-10) probably was in the air more than any special teams player in Hurricanes history as he served as both a kicker and punter for all four of his seasons (2007-2010). Bosher was the only Hurricane in the past half century-plus to handle both on a full-time basis. He played in 50 games, and recorded two of the best all-time Miami averages in punting at 44.0 and 42.5. Bosher set the record for the most field goals made in row (14) and averaged 41.7 in punting for his career while making 45 of 53 field goals in his career. His streak of 105 PATs was the second longest at UM. As a senior he handled most placekicking, punting and kickoff duties. He made 13 of 17 field goals and 37 of 40 extra points while averaging 44.0 yards per punt. As junior in 2009 he was All-ACC first team as a kicker and second team as a punter. He made 14 of 16 field goals, including 12 in a row, second best in UM history. He was 50 of 50 in PATs, and his punting average was 42.5 for 51 punts. As sophomore he was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and was team MVP. He led the team in scoring (94 points), hit 18 of 24 field goal tries and all 40 PATs. His punting average was 40.3, including a 76-yarder at Duke. He also fearlessly chipped in with eight tackles on special teams and ran for nine yards on a fake punt against FSU for a first down. As a freshman he punted in all 12 games, averaging 40.2 yards on 58 punts, including a 75-yarder at Virginia Tech, and he handled kickoffs.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “It’s crazy, but until really researching Bosher I didn’t fully appreciate how he handled kicking, punting and kickoffs all while playing with reckless abandon helping in kick coverage. Pretty amazing.”

NOMINEE: JEFF FEAGLES

Making The Case: Feagles (1985-1987) was the main punter for three years, all of them as UM contended for the national title. As sophomore in 1985 he punted 32 times for a 38.8 average. Just 10 were returned for an average of 6.8 yards.  As a junior in 1986 he had a 40.5 average. He punted seven times at Florida and only one was returned and it was fumbled to set up the winning touchdown. He averaged 42 yards on six punts against Oklahoma, and only two were returned for minus-seven yards. Only 34.6 percent of his punts were returned for average of 6.7 yards.  As senior in 1987, he had 34 punts for a 38.8 average. Against Florida he punted only twice and just one was returned for minus three yards. Against Virginia Tech he had three punts for an average of 51 yards and just one was returned for three yards. Against Notre Dame he had three for a 45-yard average and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown returned two for a total of 14 yards. Against South Carolina he was the holder for Greg Cox on a 47-yard try and he recognized a flaw in the South Carolina alignment and called for a fake and ran to the six to set up a touchdown in a 20-14 victory.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “Many may not remember Miami took Feagles out of Scottsdale Community College, and his high hang time would let you go grab a cup of Gatorade from the sideline while you were waiting for it to come down.”

NOMINEE: LOU HEDLEY

Making The Case: Hedley (2019-22) was an Australian Rules Football player and City College of San Francisco transfer who arrived at Miami in 2019 and immediately was a standout. His first season he averaged an impressive 43.9 yards per punt on 64 punts, ranking No. 26 in FBS in punting. In ’20 he delivered one of best seasons ever by a Miami punter, ranking No. 2 in FBS with a 47.3 average and helping the Canes to an FBS-leading net punting average. He was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, honoring nation’s top punter, and was a second-team All-American and second team All-ACC. As a redshirt junior he averaged 44.9 yards and was selected a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award and was again second team All-ACC, and in his final year he averaged 45.1 yards, earning first team All-ACC honors and was again a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “Hedley was the first Australian style punter at Miami, setting the stage for the Canes to also take Dylan Joyce.”

NOMINEE: CARLOS HUERTA

Making The Case: A walkon with a soccer background, Huerta (1988-1991) was a consensus All-American in 1991. He ranks first at UM in consecutive PATs (157) and third in field goals to Michael Badgley and Andy Borregales with 73. As a freshman in 1988 he hit the game-winning field goal of 29 yards at Michigan. And that was set up when he produced a great bounce on his onside kick that Miami recovered. He hit three field goals in the 18-16 victory over Arkansas, including the game winner from the 20. For the season he connected on 21 of 27.  As a sophomore he hit on 18 of 22, finished second in the nation in scoring among placekickers (101 points), and had the game-winning field goal against at Michigan State, a 45-yarder for a 23-20 victory. As a junior he hit 17 of 21 and again scored 101 points, eighth best in the nation. Not affected by the narrowing of the goal posts in 1991, he hit 37 of 40 PATs and 17 of 21 field goals. Of note that season: He had the winning extra point in the 17-16 triumph at FSU (Wide Right I) and connected from 24 twice and from 54 in the 22-0 victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl Classic to win the 1991 national title.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “Huerta is a legend. The story of how he came in as a walkon and turned into one of the greatest kickers in the nation and all-time at Miami is awe-inspiring stuff.”

NOMINEE: DANNY MILLER

Making The Case: Miller (1978-1981) learned his trade in Clewiston, Fla., by kicking between two banana trees. Nicknamed “Big Foot,” he earned first team Football News and Mizlou Sports Network All-American honors. When he kicked through the uprights it was known as “Miller Time.” He ranks fifth in field goals (56) and is tied for the longest field goal (57) at Miami. In 1978 his last-second field goal beat Auburn. As a senior in 1981 he hit 23 of 23 PATs and 18 of 27 field goals. In the opener at the Orange Bowl against Florida he made a 42 yarder and one from 55 to win the game (21-20) – that bounced off left upright and went through. The next week at Houston was truly Miller Time as he connected from 44, 50, 40 and 32 in the 12-7 victory. He hit three field goals in the 17-14 victory over Penn State and three in the 37-15 romp over Notre Dame that moved UM into the top 10. In 1980 he made 62.5 percent of his kicks, in ’79 he made 82.4 percent with 14 fieeld goals made, and in ’78 he made nine field goals including the aforementioned game-winner vs. Auburn.

Quote During Our Deliberations About Him: “He was recruited by Lou Saban and flourished under Coach Howard Schnellenberger. With ridiculous leg strength a little interesting tidbit from after his time at UM is in 1985 he kicked the winning field goal for the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions … against former Cane QB great Jim Kelly’s Houston Gamblers.”

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Freddie Capshaw, Greg Cox, Andy Crosland, Harry Ghaul, Pat O’Donnell, Jon Peattie, Dane Prewitt, Todd Sievers, Rick Tuten