Pineiro Leaving For NFL

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — No more "Ed-dy! Ed-dy! Ed-dy!"

But it was fun and awfully efficient while it lasted.

Redshirt junior Eddy Pineiro, the most accurate (and maybe most popular) kicker in Florida history, announced Tuesday via Twitter he will forgo his senior season with the Gators and put his name into the early entry NFL draft pool. With Pineiro's departure, UF will say goodbye to a kicker who converted 29 of his last 30 field-goal attempts and whose 88.4-percent career accuracy will leave him No. 1 all-time in program history.

"It was a difficult decision, but going to the NFL has always been a dream of mine," Pineiro said. "I did some research and just thought the timing was right."

Pineiro took note of the coming and going of NFL kickers, in particular the amount of injuries that have occurred at the next level, during the 2017 season. There, he saw an opportunity.

"It will be hard for me to leave Gator Nation," Pineiro said. "To hear 100,000 fans cheering your name, that's something I'll never forget."

Pineiro's exit leaves walk-on Jorge Powell as the lone kicker on the UF roster, though new Gators coach Dan Mullen intends to address the position in the upcoming signing class. Powell, out of Coral Gables, Fla., kicked in four games during the 2015 season, making two of three field-goal tries and 10 of 11 point-after attempts before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

And then Pineiro arrived.

"I loved my time here," he said. "Now, I'm ready for this next challenge."

Since the Oakland Raiders made history in 2000 by making Sebastian Janikowski the first placekicker in 21 years taken in the first round, 36 kickers have been drafted, with all but three going in Rounds 4 through 7. The numbers Pineiro put up during his two years at UF — and maybe a couple of his viral YouTube videos — just might have management types looking a little closer (and a little earlier) in the draft proceedings at the Miami product.

The final field goal of Pineiro's career was a 45-yarder in UF's loss on Nov. 25 to Florida State and was his 16th straight conversion, making him 38-for-43 for his career and moving him past Bobby Raymond into first place as the most accurate kicker in Gators history. Raymond went 43-for-49 (.878) during his two seasons in 1983-84.

"It's hard for me to leave Gator Nation. To hear 100,000 fans cheering your name, that's something I'll never forget." -- @eddypineiro1 #GatorsAlways #GatorMade

Story via @GatorsChris: https://t.co/IUFH0nyXkg pic.twitter.com/0wCjQ4v2z9
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 20, 2017

The FSU field goal put Pineiro at 17-for-18 on the season, including two from at least 50 yards, for a percentage of 94.4 that led the nation. His two 50-plus kicks both came against Alabama-Birmingham, when Pinerio became the first Gator to kick five field goals in a game since Arden Czyzewski did so against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl following the 1991 season, as well as the first to boot two from at least 50 in the same game.

Pineiro's big right leg also was a special teams weapon. He finished 12th nationally in touchbacks, which certainly will please NFL scouts. All told, 39 of his 50 kickoffs found the end zone and were not returned (that's 79 percent, which led the Southeastern Conference).

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Eddy Pineiro

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