For kicks and keeps: Michigan football team's kicking battle continues with 10 days until the first game

One played soccer and didn’t pick up football until his senior year of high school. The other played football his entire life and when an injury came to his high school’s regular kicker, he was asked to fill in.

Yet here they are, the fifth-year senior Jason Olesnavage and the freshman Brendan Gibbons, both attempting to win the place-kicking job at Michigan.

“I think it’s going really well,” Olesnavage said. “We have a lot of guys who worked really hard in the off-season, some of the younger guys, Brendan coming in and from what he’s been here and shown, he’s worked hard, too.”

It has been narrowed down to two, though: Olesnavage and Gibbons.

Olesnavage is the born soccer player, thinking he’d play collegiate soccer until his senior year at Ferndale High. Gibbons started kicking a football after the regular kicker went down at Cardinal Newman in Florida.

Both have range over 50 yards. Olesnavage made a 50-yarder with ease during Wednesday’s practice. Gibbons made a 52-yarder in a game at Cardinal Newman.

BRENDAN GIBBONS PUNTING AND THEN LAYING OUT AN OPPONENT IN HIGH SCHOOL:

And while Rich Rodriguez said he hasn’t made an absolute decision yet, it looks like the senior is moving ahead.

“Jason Olesnavage is the first one out of the gate right now,” Rodriguez said. “He’s kicked pretty well, pretty consistent. Some days are better than others. Brendan Gibbons and Bryan Wright and Kris Pauloski have all been in camp and had their moments. But none of them has really kicked in a game, quality kicks yet.

“We’re going to try and put them under pressure the next few days and see if anyone emerges or takes control of it.”

Until Rodriguez feels comfortable, though, it'll continue. And that could go throughout the entire season.

Or, he could end up doing what he said he'd possibly do earlier this preseason - have more than one guy kicking.

"Right now we’re both hitting the ball real well," Gibbons said. "So I’m not sure but it might go on every day in practice."

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for annarbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.