Barredo hopes to kick for Wolf Pack

Carson High graduate Chris Barredo knows what he's gotten himself into with the University of Nevada football team.

Barredo knows unless something unexpected happens, he'll play the waiting game. Barredo is a kicker with the Wolf Pack, but that's a position barring injury that will be filled for the next three years by Damon Fine.

Fine, a sophomore, is already up this year for the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the nation's top kicker. So it's a virtual certainty that Barredo will redshirt this year. His goal is to be the starting kicker for Nevada in his final two years after Fine leaves.

"It's basically already made in my mind at this point," said Barredo about redshirting this year.

Even with Fine in front of him, Barredo said he wanted to come to Nevada to stay close to home.

"I knew it was going to be some big shoes to fill," Barredo also said about following in the footsteps of Fine.

But Barredo also hopes to see some action as a kicker even before Fine leaves. "If I get some time before that, that would be great, too," said Barredo about seeing action before his junior year.

Barredo, though, is thankful for the chance to work with Fine. "He's probably one of the best kickers I could be working with right now," Barredo said. "I don't think I could be in better hands."

As a kicker at Carson, Barredo showed he had a strong enough leg to kick on the college level. But he said he's now more concerned with his accuracy.

"It's gotten a little bit stronger since last year," said Barredo about his leg. "I'm not worried about that. I'm more worried about my accuracy right now. I've still got a long ways to come. I'm doing pretty well.

"I'm getting the ball off the ground pretty well. I've come a long ways since the summer."

Barredo said it's been fun to work with Fine. "It's great working with Damon.

"He helps me a lot. He has a lot of answers for me. We kind of help each other out."

Barredo was also a standout linebacker at Carson and while he said he would love to play linebacker at Nevada, the chances of that are slim.

"I think the odds are against me there," he said. "I think I'll just stick with kicking, probably."

Barredo said this year's Wolf Pack team should be competitive. "I think we're going to be real strong," he said. "We've come together."