A placekicker for the Air Force Academy who turned down a $100,000 transfer proposal over the holiday period came through with an impressive first-game performance as the Falcons' starter, coach Troy Calhoun confirmed following the contest.
Calhoun said a Big Ten program had dangled a $100,000 offer to lure the kicker away during the holidays, but the player chose to remain at the Academy instead. Neither the coach nor the kicker publicly identified which school made the offer.
"It's very difficult for me to make those type of decisions, especially in the way that it came," the kicker said. "But I believe in what this program is, I believe in what we stand for and what we're building here; the opportunities that this school as a whole gives me."
Staying put, however, did not hand Cremascoli the starting role automatically. Jacob Medina had held the kicking job to begin the previous season before being replaced midway through the year, a move that followed two missed kicks in a pair of losses decided by three points — against Navy and UNLV. The preseason depth chart going into this season showed both Cremascoli and Medina as candidates for the position, and the sophomore did not receive official word that he had claimed the job until Monday.
"The whole time throughout fall camp I was preparing to be the starter, I'm sure he was too," Cremascoli said. "So it wasn't like a surprise, but it was kind of good to hear that the coaches believed in me and everything and I hope they continue to as I continue to perform."
The sophomore rewarded that confidence by converting field goals from 52 and 21 yards, converting all four of his PAT attempts, and booting every one of his seven kickoffs into the end zone. His power was on full display throughout, with several kickoffs traveling well beyond the back of the end zone and his longest field goal sailing over with room to spare.
"Does that number go up?" Calhoun said, referring to Cremascoli's game-long of 52 yards. "Maybe it does. You know what? I hope he hits a few field goals for us."
The kicker's ambitions appear to carry well beyond football. Cremascoli left high school with a 4.67 GPA, a mark achievable only by filling a schedule with the most rigorous courses on offer. He came to football late, having previously played soccer before taking up the sport in his junior year of high school, and said his parents consistently pushed him to seek out the hardest challenges available — both in the classroom and on the field.
"It feels really good," he said. "All of us work so hard, and to be able to have your hard work put out in front of everyone and be able to perform at the level that you can, it's really heartening."
Whether Cremascoli maintains the starting role and extends his field-goal range further as the Falcons' season continues remains to be seen.