Cody Parkey knew the cleats he was stepping into would be hard to fill. Wes Byrum, starting kicker from 2007-10, made numerous game-winning kicks throughout his career and kicked the most famous field goal in Auburn history last year in the BCS championship game. Parkey knows Byrum left Auburn a legend, but the sophomore kicker wants to carve his own niche.
"I want to make my own legacy here, but at the same time following a guy like Wes is going to be hard," Parkey said. "But he gave me some great tips and good pointers. He told me to stay focused and do all the little things right, and all the other stuff will follow. It was good to have Wes last year to mentor me."
Byrum's mentoring along with special teams coach Jay Boulware's instruction this past year have helped Parkey lead the country in touchback percentage this season. Twenty out of 33, or over 60 percent of his kickoffs, have been unreturned.
"It feels good to be able to execute every week," Parkey said. "For the people who thought that it was just the first game, I think I've proven to them that I can do it every week. I've worked hard, and it's something I pride myself in. The harder I work, the better I'll be, so I'm going to continue to work hard and lead the nation in touchback percentage."
Parkey's efforts have caught Boulware's attention as well.
"Obviously his improvement since last year is in his leg strength, overall consistency in striking the ball on kickoffs," Boulware said. "I attribute that to the work that Cody's done down in the weight room with coach (Kevin) Yoxall. Then obviously the hard work that he's put into being consistent in striking the ball and being able to hit it with enough power behind it."
Last year Parkey split kickoff duties with Byrum and only had two touchbacks on 35 attempts. Parkey credits his success to focusing and working on the details of his game.
"Last year, I felt like I wasn't striking the ball or exploding through the ball as well on kickoffs," Parkey said. "This year I've been focused on that. I've worked hard on that all summer, and I've been able to execute so far."
Early in the spring Parkey suffered a quadricep injury that could have derailed his progress, but instead he used it to come back a stronger kicker. He said it was a "bummer" to miss his first game in Jordan-Hare as a starting kicker.
"I was ready to get out there and show everyone what I had, but then a couple days before, the whole quad incident happened," Parkey said. "I didn't try and dwell on it, I just kind of thought I had to get healthy for the season.
"I was in rehab 3-4 times a day. I came back pretty fast. I didn't lose a step, and I was able to come back with a full recovery. I feel like I'm kicking the ball as good or better than ever right now."
Parkey began his playing career on the soccer field instead of the football field. After playing soccer for years, Parkey decided to join his older brother on the football team.
"I came out and they needed a kicker, and I thought, 'I played soccer, I could probably do this,'" Parkey said. "So in middle school I played kicker and some lineman. You had to get a certain amount of plays in Pop Warner, so I had to play a lot of positions."
Entering high school Parkey went to several kicking camps and ended his senior year ranked the No. 1 kicker in the nation.
Parkey was the first Auburn commitment in the 2010 class.
While he hasn't attempted a 50-plus yard field goal at Auburn, Parkey said kicking a record goal in high school stands out as his favorite memory.
"I hit a school record 55-yard field goal," Parkey said. "We were losing, and my coach decided to let me try and see my leg. I was able to hit it, and it would have been good from a lot farther."
Parkey hopes Saturday's game won't be decided by a three-point margin, but it if comes down to a field goal, he said he'll be prepared.
"If we do need one, I feel like I'm going to be ready. The long snapper, Josh Harris, and holder, Ryan White, we've been executing really well and we're going to practice hard this week and be ready for the game."
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