Rui embraces the pressure that comes with being the kicker

Last year Gabe Rui was one of the biggest surprises for the Kansas football team. He arrived in Lawrence in 2016 but didn’t appear in a game.

Going into last season not much was known about him and there were no expectations. Then he quickly made his mark on the special teams unit.

Rui went from sitting out his first season to making 17-of-20 field goals last year. Going into the spring the expectations quickly changed and he was expected to be the starter. Before spring football started he had a small setback.

“I tore my hamstring in late February,” Rui said. “I missed a couple weeks of spring ball.”

And when he returned he was back to the form he showed in the 2017 season when he only missed three field goals.

“Once I came back in the spring I didn't miss a kick,” he said.

Rui loves the pressure of being the place-kicker. It is something that helped him earn a scholarship at Kansas. Before that he was an all-conference kicker at NEO only missing two field goals in two years.

“I don't even know what pressure is to be honest,” Rui said. “If I have the chance I would love to try and kick 12 game winners this year. I love the pressure. A lot of kickers say it is mental. For me it is not.”

Going into fall camp this season it was a different feel than the previous year. This time the pressure was on him because he was expected to win the job. He said his good friend Liam Jones pushed him all the way through fall camp.

“I love that kid,” Rui said of Jones. “We are both from Oklahoma. We both competed last year and we are doing it again. I've said it before and I would say it again he is the best competition I have ever had in my career. He's got a strong leg and he's accurate.

“We love to compete against each other and when that time comes we are serious and we don't mess around.”

After a breakout year Rui says his teammates expect him to make those kicks in big moments.

“Now when I miss in practice everybody lets me know about it,” he said. “It's just the culture of how it is now. I love that role. They are expecting me to be good, not mediocre. After getting a scholarship and winning the job I could have let up. But you have to keep your foot on the gas and that's probably the main thing for me right now.”