Hollidaysburg kicker Vlad Hilling commits to Penn State as preferred walk-on

The Nittany Lions have a new candidate for their open placekicking job.

Hollidaysburg kicker Vlad Hilling verbally committed to Penn State’s 2018 class as a preferred walk-on Monday night after visiting with the Nittany Lions over the weekend.

The kicker had offers from Rutgers, Army and St. Francis.

Hilling owns a five-star rating on his Kohl’s Kicking and Punting page and won the organization’s Eastern Spring Showcase field goal competition.

James Franklin watched him live on Sept. 8 when Hollidaysburg visited State College’s Memorial Field — and the coach is hoping he saw a future contributor.

The Nittany Lions need a new placekicker and kickoff specialist with Tyler Davis graduating. Penn State returns walk-ons Nick DeAngelis and Carson Landis, and strong-legged freshman Jake Pinegar has been a long-committed member of the 2018 class.

Now, Hilling is joining the competition.

This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 9:30 PM with the headline "Hollidaysburg kicker Vlad Hilling commits to Penn State as preferred walk-on."