In the Texas Tech football season opener last weekend, Stone Harrington picked up where he left off last year.
The kicker who came out of nowhere to be a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2025 went 4 for
4 on field goals in the Red Raiders' 33-10 victory over Abilene Christian at Galaxy Stadium. A year ago, Harrington emerged from a little-used backup in his first three years in the program to win the kicker job, making 22 of 28 and earning first-team All-Big 12 recognition.
Most impressively, he showed a cannon leg, making kicks from 58 yards at Utah, 55 yards at Kansas State, and 53 yards against Central Florida.
This is the Colleyville Heritage graduate's fifth and final year in the program. If there's anything he wanted to brush up on coming out of last year, it was the mid-range kicks, the attempts between 40 and 49 yards.
"I just want to keep getting better and stay grounded," Harrington said recently, "because we've got a really good snapper [Jason Llewellyn], and then Will [Karoll] coming in from UCLA is a good holder, so I'm just making sure I'm focusing on little things and trying to just tweak little things so I can really work on the 40-to-49 range. That's where I had most of my misses, so I'm trying to dial in on that area."
The ones he made against ACU were from 23, 28, 33 and 45 yards.
Last year, Harrington was perfect on 13 attempts shorter than 40 yards and 3 for 5 from 50 yards and longer. Between 40 and 49 yards, he was 6 of 10.
"I just think it's the in-between range," he said. "I think last year I was trying to place it. I just need to hit the same ball no matter where I'm at on the field."
In addition to his all-Big 12 recognitions and being among the last 20 up for the Groza Award last year, Harrington also was a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy that goes to college football's top player who began his career as a walk-on.
That Harrington would fill out to 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and make that kind of star turn isn't necessarily something Kenny Perry saw coming.
The Tech special teams coordinator said that toward the end of last season, he actually "tried to run Stone off" earlier in his career. During his first three seasons, Harrington was never sent in to attempt a field goal — the Red Raiders had Trey Wolff and Gino Garcia — only some kickoffs here and there.
"His first two years, he struggled," Perry said. "Even when he kicked kickoffs, he was going to kick the second or third one out of bounds. I don't know what he found, but whatever he did, I think every kicker in the country needs to call Stone and figure out what he did, because between the second and third year, he definitely made a change. I'm so proud of that kid, because he got it [hard coaching] from me daily, coach [Joey McGuire], everybody."
Now Perry views him as "a big-time weapon."
Until last year, Harrington had a strong leg but an inconsistent approach and results.
"I just saw that he had some range and he had a big leg; he just didn't know what to do with it," Perry said. "Kudos to that kid for, mentally (maturing). That's what kicking is. You've got to stay ahead of the game, sharp. You've got to know that you're the best in the business, and you've got to go out there to win every game."
Like many high-level kickers, Harrington sees more than just his special-teams coach. Last year, he credited Tech psychological health and performance coach Weston Durham for helping him improve his mental routine.
In July, he went to the Kohl's College Elite Camp in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He won a competition there by making a 67-yard kick. There was no short snapper, no protection, no rush, just him in the middle of the field. Nevertheless, the leg strength was obvious there and again in the Red Raiders' first scrimmage when he was good from 64 yards.
And since the spring after his freshman season with the Red Raiders, Harrington has gone to San Diego twice a year to train with John Carney, who kicked for 23 years in the NFL.
"Coach Perry, I'd say he's really good with the mental side and your preparation and routine," Harrington said, "and then the guys I go train with, I'm working on the fundamentals and the details of kicking."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech kicker Stone Harrington is a weapon now
