Head coach Jeff Scott and special teams coach Daniel Da Prato picked up a veteran kicker on Saturday when Arkansas specialist Jared Sackett announced his intention to transfer to USF Football.

“Coach [Jeff] Scott has been incredibly helpful and welcoming,” Sackett said in an exchange with TDS. “I haven’t even taken an official visit yet, and it feels like home.”

Sackett will be reunited with Da Prato, who served as a special teams quality control coach for Arkansas in 2019. He was elevated to special teams coordinator midseason by interim head coach Barry Lunney Jr. following the firing of Chad Morris.

Another reason for picking USF was to get to work with strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll again who was also at Arkansas in 2019.

A product of Timber Creek High School in Fort Worth, TX, Sackett spent the first two years of his collegiate career excelling at in-state UTSA. Through the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Roadrunners, he successfully connected on 80% of his field goal attempts (33-of-41), 14 of those made FG’s coming from 40+ yards, including a career-long of 51 yards. He was also practically automatic on PAT’s going 41-of-42 during that stretch. For his efforts, he earned All-Conference USA honors both years and was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award twice.

Sackett decided to transfer to Arkansas last season and had to sit out the 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules. After the staff overhaul in Fayetteville, he decided to enter the portal again this past week and eventually landed at USF. He returnees Coby Weiss and Spencer Shrader.

“I wanted to make sure I didn’t treat the 2019 season as a year off,” Sackett said. “I still trained day to day and approached the season with the mentality that I was suiting up and playing on Saturdays. The biggest takeaway from my training in the 2019 season Was developing the mental side of my game along with being able to get stronger and being more meticulous about my craft.”

Sackett is immediately eligible and has two years left to play.

Portal Watch 2020

• Oregon RB Darrian Felix
• North Carolina QB Cade Fortin
• Stanford DT Bo Peek