By Kyle Coppola
East Ridge High’s Landon Dodd Could Be Lake County’s Top Punter
East Ridge High School senior Landon Dodd might be one of the top kickers in Lake County, but he’s making just as big of an impact in the classroom as he is on the football field.
Dodd, a standout punter and holder for the Knights, has been booming punts more than 50 yards all summer and has developed into a strategic weapon for head coach Donnie Burchfield. Known for his precision, Dodd has steadily improved at pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line, often flipping field position and momentum with a single kick. He is averaging 4.4 seconds of hang time which is allowing his players to get downfield and make tackles before the returner can do any damage.
(Landon recently attended a Yale Football Camp and impressed with his booming kicks.)
“He’s not just a special teams player,” Burchfield said. “He’s a game-changer.”
But while his leg strength has college scouts buzzing, it’s his brainpower that’s drawing interest from some of the nation’s most elite academic institutions.
With a 5.06 GPA and a 1350 SAT score, Dodd is the definition of a student-athlete. This summer, he’s been visiting Ivy League schools including Yale, Harvard, and Brown, programs where his talents on the field and in the classroom could shine equally.
(Landon also attended football camp at Harvard over the summer.)
That academic drive, paired with his performance on the gridiron, has made Dodd one of the most intriguing prospects in the region. Ivy League coaches have taken notice, recognizing his potential to contribute not only to their football programs but to their campuses as a whole.
As the fall season approaches, expectations for Dodd will be high. But for someone used to pressure situations, whether on the football field or an AP Calculus test, Dodd seems more than ready.
(Landon gets some of the top hang time on his punts in Lake County. He is certainly a game-changer.)
While East Ridge High would love to keep Dodd off the field and not resort to punting the football, ultimately they can take comfort in knowing that this young man is one of the best in the area and will have no problem putting the team on his back this season. Be sure to keep your eye on him!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
