Gostkowski a mentor for Elliott during Memphis career

They met on Memphis’ practice field in the summer of 2014, to kick a few balls and shoot the breeze.

Stephen Gostkowski was entering his ninth season with the New England Patriots, a two-time Pro Bowler who had long since established himself as one of the best kickers in the NFL.

Jake Elliott was a rising sophomore who, until recently, had focused on tennis.

“We worked out a little bit and kicked the ball around,” Elliott said. “Ever since then, he’ll just text me like, ‘Hey, I’m going to be in town. Let’s go kick if you want.' ”

Elliott eclipsed Gostkowski’s all-time career scoring record at Memphis earlier this season. And with his next field goal — possibly during Saturday’s game against No. 25 Navy — the senior from Western Springs, Illinois, will break another one of the Gostkowski’s school records, for most career field goals. They currently share the mark with 70 apiece.

Reaching those milestones is particularly special for Elliott because, to him, Gostkowski is not just a random name in a record book. He counts the NFL veteran as a mentor, both during those summer kicking sessions and in between them, as Gostkowski is always available by phone or text for guidance.

“It’s honestly mostly not necessarily me picking his brain, but just watching how he approaches everything,” Elliott said. “If I find myself struggling, I’ll think back to certain keys that I’ll pick up on what he does and just simple reminders like that help me along the way.

“(He’s) just a tremendous role model, everything I really strive to be.”

And nobody is more excited to see Elliott break the field-goal record than the current record-holder himself.

“Jake is an unbelievable player,” Gostkowski said in a phone interview this week. “I’m glad he’s taking my record down.”

Gostkowski owns a house in Collierville and usually spends a month or so in the area during the offseason. Whenever he’s in town, he stops by the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex to get some work in, usually early in the morning. And the past few times, he’s reached out to Elliott as a practice companion.

“He gives me a run for my money, I’ll tell you that. He’s very, very good,” Gostkowski said. “It’s nice to have someone come out there. No matter how long you’ve been playing or how long you’ve been doing it, you can always learn from other people. If I’ve given him any advice, I hope that’s been good too.”

Elliott said he spends more time observing Gostkowski during those sessions than he does asking questions. He tries to pick up on all the minute details that have made Gostkowski one of the most reliable kickers in the league with the Patriots, from how he approaches the mental side of the game to how he perfects every aspect of his technique.

“Just the way he gets through a ball — every time he kicks it, he’ll skip through about three yards. You don’t see that from a lot of guys,” Elliott said. “I’ll kind of remind myself of that, just to get downfield a little bit more.”

Elliott and Gostkowski are the latest kicking stars in what has been a remarkable two-decade stretch at Memphis. Ex-Tiger Joe Allison won the first Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best college kicker, in 1992. And Ryan White, who kicked at Memphis from 1998 to 2001, also received All-American honors.

Gostkowski said it’s been fun to watch the program evolve in recent years from a perennial bottom-feeder to a team that is contending for conference championships and playing primetime games on ESPN. It’s also been fun, he said, to see Elliott continue what’s become a tradition of kicking excellence at Memphis.

“I don’t know if it’s coincidence or (what),” Gostkowski said of the team’s kicking legacy. “But there have been a lot of good ones, and hopefully the guy that comes in after Jake can carry it on. It is pretty cool to watch.”

Elliott was one of three finalists for the Groza Award a year ago and has made 10 of 12 field goals this year, including two from beyond 50 yards. Soon, he will try to follow in Gostkowski’s footsteps and latch on with a team in the NFL. It’s a possibility that’s in the back of his mind, but far from a focus during the season.

“My thought process as far as that goes is just have the best season I can have this year, and all that stuff will take care of itself,” Elliott said.

Gostkowski, who was a fourth-round pick in 2006, said it’s important never to look too far ahead. He encouraged Elliott to enjoy his last year at Memphis, and not get caught up in anything beyond that. If and when the NFL comes on the radar after the season, Gostkowski said, he’ll always be just a phone call away.

“I’ve been nothing but proud of Jake,” Gostkowski said, “and really excited for the success that he’s had.”

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