By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – You may not know the name yet but a freshman kicker raised some eyebrows at the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp here last weekend.

Sandy Burks, who will be a ninth-grader at North Little Rock High School, will be one to watch, said Prokicker.com staffer Ken Olson.

“He’s definitely one of them you’ll probably see over and over every year,” Olson said. “It’ll be fun to watch his development throughout his schooling before college.”

Burks was eager to learn, asking questions about ways to improve. Most of his youth sports career has been soccer but when an eighth-grade coach saw him kicking football, he told the high school coach about him. That’s why they made sure Burks knew about the Prokicker.com camp.

“They teach so much,” Burks said. “It’s my first time getting professional advice and you can’t get that anywhere else.”

Burks was an accurate kicker with big potential, Olson said.

“Sandy was all ears, like a wet sponge soaking it up,” he said. “He wants to learn it. He’s already got daggone good mechanics and hits a strong ball. He’s one of those boys you’re going to be hearing about. His parents are behind him and that means a lot.”

“Our (eighth-grade) offense had incredible running backs, so we didn’t have a lot of field goal opportunities,” Burks said. “I kicked four, including a game-winner in one game. My longest one was 38 (yards).”

North Little Rock plays in Arkansas’s biggest division – Class 7A. However, Burks said the school isn’t exactly known for its kickers. That’s why the Prokicker.com camp was so helpful to the bright 14-year-old. He looks forward to attending more Prokicker.com camps in the future because, Burks said, football could be his future.

“The University of Arkansas doesn’t have a men’s soccer team,” he said.