“Matt is a good kicker and punter. He has improved a lot since he started a little over a year ago. For Matt to go as far as he did in the combine series says a lot about how hard he has worked on his kicking and punting,” said former Valdosta State punter Andy Gibbs, who now works with Top Recruit Kicking.

“Matt has really impressed me with his ability to focus under pressure and perform well,” Hollis said. “He, too, has the great strive for perfection and hard work ethic, and will kick at a high level throughout his kicking career.”

“Very young kicker, has potential to improve as he gets older, showed improvement in a short amount of time from regional to semifinal,” was Feuerbach’s assessment.

“Matt is a very good kicker and punter. He is eager to be the best kicker he can be, and you will hear a lot about him in the future,” said Craig Solomon, his kicking coach.

The Lowndes High freshman regularly hits 40-plus yard field goals in practice, with a long of 45 yards, while making 75 percent of his extra points during the 2008 LHS freshman season.

“I kick a lot of footballs each day of practice,” Mackenstein said. “I’ve also been really working on my punting ability, which is completely different from kicking a 40-yard field goal. I also work real hard to keep my grades at a high enough level to get into a major university.”

Solomon and Mackenstein have worked with Hollis, McInally, Feuerbach and Gibbs. They primarily train with Solomon’s father, Craig, as does Jed’s younger brother Will. They also appreciate the support of their coaches in the Lowndes football program.

“If it weren’t for coaches like Lowndes High football head coach Randy McPherson, Lowndes kicking coach Trey Byrd, Lowndes ninth grade head coach Joe Mederos and Hahira Middle School head football coach Lance Eckdahl giving me a chance, I might not be a kicker. Thanks coaches,” said Solomon, while also acknowledging the team’s other special teams players.