INDIANAPOLIS --- Florida punter Kyle Christy's parents used to give him a quarter every time he'd score a goal on the soccer fields of Brownsburg, Indiana when he was five-years-old, but now, he's hoping for a big raise back home at the NFL Combine.
"Just having a lot of fun, pretty excited about everything," said Christy Wednesday, upon arriving at the Combine in the stadium of the team he used to root for as a kid. "A lot of contact from family and friends. I've been getting a bunch of texts today, wishing me good luck and everything."
Christy said he's always been a Colts fan and still has his Peyton Manning jersey. He played a high school game at Lucas Oil Stadium and has even been in contact with Indianapolis punter Pat McAfee in recent years.
"I think I've talked to Pat a couple times on Twitter," said Christy, although he's never met "The Boomstick" in person. "He gave me some advice. I think it was a couple years ago, when I was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award (given to college football's best punter). He went through that too and kind of told me what to expect. He helped me out with that."
Christy went through measurements, medical examinations, and interviews with teams Wednesday. It will be more interviews Thursday and a first workout that includes the bench press. The former Brownsburg Bulldog wraps up with his on-field workout Friday, in the stadium, just east of the Indianapolis suburb where he started to dream of the NFL.
Christy posted a 45.8-yard punting average as a sophomore at Florida, 5th best in the country. He struggled as a junior after being named a preseason All-American, even getting benched, but finished strong as a senior with a 44.3-yard punting average, good enough for 13th in the nation. Not bad somebody who didn't start punting until his junior year of high school...
That has all led to the biggest job interview in his life, almost in his backyard.
"I'm sure I'll be a little nervous," said Christy, "but you always just got to put that away, just calm down, go out there, and clear your head."
Kyle Christy will have plenty of people rooting for him in Indianapolis. Do well enough, and he might not need those quarters from Mom and Dad anymore.
