Field position proved to be a big advantage for the Kentucky football team last season. And the UK coaching staff is looking to make sure that trend continues for years to come.

LaGrange (Ga.) punter/kicker Joseph Mansour picked up a scholarship offer from Kentucky at the Wildcats kicking camp in June and Tuesday night, Mansour obliged with a verbal commitment.

"I committed last night," Mansour told Kentucky Ink Wednesday. "It was the best fit for me. There are a lot of LaGrange guys up there and I just felt comfortable."

Mansour said the UK staff told him he could pick up where graduating senior Tim Masthay left off, specializing in kick-offs and pinning teams deep with booming punts. Last season, Mansour punted 54 times for a 41-yard, connected on 6 of 11 field goals with a long of 55 yards while 78 percent of his kickoffs went for touchbacks in being named a Class AAA First-Team All-State selection.

"I went to LSU, then Florida, Georgia, Alabama and then Kentucky this summer," Mansour said. "They saw me kick and they offered me. They said I bring the same things as Tim Masthay. I didn't want to miss that opportunity they were giving me."

A big kicker (6-3, 175) with a big leg, Mansour also compares favorably to former UK and All-SEC punter Glenn Pakulak.

"As a punter, he's top five in the country," Mansour's kicking coach and former Chicago Bears punter Mike McCabe said. "His main forte is going to be punting and kicking off. He's got good size and he runs a 4.4 so he's got a fast leg. He'll be one heck of a weapon for Kentucky."

Mansour has been working with McCabe's One-On-One Kicking. McCabe calls Mansour a quick learner.

"He has a strong leg," McCabe said. "After working with him a short time, he picks up on everything real quick. He's very strong, he's a great athlete. He's worked on his technique and he's really impressed me."

Because of his mental make-up and his physical tools, McCabe says the sky's the limit for Mansour.

"(Kicking) is going to be a mental thing," McCabe said. "You're 90 percent mental and 10 percent fundamental. He seems very strong mentally. He's just going to grow. All he's got is a higher plateau to grow into. His potential is great."

Mansour is just the latest Granger to make his home in Lexington following the likes of Wesley Woodyard, Braxton Kelley and Randall Burden along with recent signees Qua Huzzie, Tristian Johnson and Demetri Merritt.

"Coach (Joker) Phillips comes down here a lot," Mansour said. "He and Coach (Steve) Pardue are good friends."

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