By Steve Lansdale
AUSTIN, Texas — One of the nation’s elite college football placekickers is headed to Austin.
Trent Domingue, who is on the preseason Watch List for the Lou Groza Award — given annually to the nation’s top kicker — will join the Longhorns as a graduate transfer after a 2015 season in which he converted 13 of 17 attempted field goals and 49 of 50 extra points, and also scored a touchdown on a fake field goal against Florida. The former walk-on sat out the 2012 season as a redshirt, was the Tigers’ backup kicker and punter in 2013 and handled most of the team’s kickoffs in 2014 before his breakout season last year. He graduated from LSU this spring with a degree in business and will study advertising at Texas.
Domingue joins a UT team that [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]lost 2015 starter Nick Rose, who also converted 13 of 17 field goals a year ago. The only kickers on the roster of returning players are redshirt freshman John Coppens and sophomore Evan Moore.
“We’re obviously thrilled that Trent decided to join our program,” Strong said. “What a great addition in a critical position of need for us. Trent’s an experienced and proven kicker who has had a great deal of success at the highest level and competed in pressure situations. He’ll be a strong leader on our special teams, and we look forward to getting him on campus.”
Domingue made his announcement on Twitter after LSU did not renew his scholarship, although some media reports suggest LSU head coach Les Miles had indicated he would have tried to find a financial aid package that would have allowed Domingue to play his final season in Baton Rouge.
“I’ve always known that Texas has been a pretty storied program, both academically and athletically,” Domingue said. “I knew Coach Brick (Haley) from LSU, and he’s a big reason why I had interest in Texas initially. I’m really excited to get there and start training and getting to know everyone. Coach Strong is great and seems like a players coach. I think it will be an awesome time playing for him.”
Domingue is the fifth addition to the UT roster this summer. The Longhorns also have welcomed four freshmen who originally signed with Baylor before changing their minds in wake of the scandal that has rocked the Waco campus: wide receiver Devin Duvernay, athlete Donovan Duvernay (Devin’s twin brother), guard Patrick Hudson and offensive tackle J.P. Urquidez.
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