The homecoming pep rally at Lyons Township had just begun its student field-goal kicking competition when football coach Kurt Weinberg recognized the noise.

Thump!

That beautiful sound of a foot hitting a football just right. Weinberg knew it even before he turned to get a closer look.

He couldn't wait to find out: Who the heck is that kid?

"Just crushing the ball through the uprights," he marveled.

Weinberg approached freshman Jake Elliott on that fall day in 2009 and introduced himself.

"Hey, if you're ever interested in playing football — I mean, gee whiz, you're extremely talented," Weinberg said. "You should think about it."

Elliott didn't take him up on the offer until two years later. But now the kid from Western Springs is one of the top kickers in this year's NFL draft class, positioned to be selected in April after an illustrious career at Memphis.

Elliott was a standout tennis player at Lyons, qualifying for the state tournament in singles or doubles all four years. But when he answered the football team's call for help in 2011, it set him on a path that led him to ninth on the all-time NCAA FBS scoring list and to the Senior Bowl last month.

"To come on this late and end up at this stage is really special to me," Elliott said at the Senior Bowl, where he played for the South team opposite the North squad the Bears coached. "Even getting to play in college was special at the time. I'm just gradually building."

His steep career arc has been lifted by the calm, focused mentality he needed to play tennis. The isolated, individual elements of both sports overlap, Elliott says, and his experiences on the court have transferred to results on the field.

Like when he connected on a 54-yard field-goal attempt in the first overtime to keep Memphis alive in its double-overtime victory against BYU in the 2014 Miami Beach Bowl. Such long, clutch kicks have helped Elliott make an impression on coaches and colleagues.

"He has a really solid head on his shoulders," said Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who this month won his second Super Bowl. He preceded Elliott at Memphis by eight years, and they have trained together during summers. Elliott considers him a mentor and friend.

"You have to take things with a grain of salt, and he seems to have that kind of temperament the times I've been around him," Gostkowski said. "The way he handles himself — you go out there, you make the kick, you act like you're supposed to make the kick. That's the kind of thing I like to see."

Lyons 52 yard

Lyons Township kicker Jake Elliott converts a game-winning, 52-yard field goal against Oak Park and River Forest on Oct. 1, 2011.

Lyons Township kicker Jake Elliott converts a game-winning, 52-yard field goal against Oak Park and River Forest on Oct. 1, 2011.

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The natural

Lyons was preparing for its 2011 season opener against Stevenson when Weinberg realized his team had a kicking problem. He had some talented kids, but they were too inconsistent.

Two years had passed since he met Elliott at the pep rally, and he hadn't thought much about it since. But on the practice field that day, an assistant coach noted Elliott was on the nearby tennis courts.

"You want me to go get him?" the coach asked.

"Hell, yes!" Weinberg said. "We don't have anybody to kick an extra point."

Problem solved.

Six weeks later, on homecoming of all days, Elliott drilled a 52-yard field goal as time expired to beat Oak Park-River Forest 16-14. Video of the kick on YouTube shows Weinberg on the sideline completely stunned with hands on hips as players storm the field. The kick sailed through with at least 3 yards to spare.

The following week, Elliott made a 47-yarder to beat York 29-27. Another mob scene. Weinberg stunned again.

Jake Elliott 47-yard

Lyons Township kicker Jake Elliott converts a game-winning, 47-yard field goal against York on Oct. 7, 2011.

Lyons Township kicker Jake Elliott converts a game-winning, 47-yard field goal against York on Oct. 7, 2011.

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"He gets it from tennis," said Bruce Elliott, Jake's father. "When it comes down to it, it's set point, it's match point, and you have to get it. You have to have that as a field-goal kicker. He has that strength."

That Jake Elliott excelled so soon after deciding to kick surprised no one who knows him.

Golf? He can drive a ball more than 300 yards.

Bowling? He regularly rolls in the high 200s.

Baseball? He was the shortstop on Western Springs' Little League state championship team in 2007.

Jamie Kohl, owner of Kohl's Kicking Camps, one of the country's most respected amateur kicking academies, recently hosted several draft-eligible kickers at his house as part of a week of workouts.

Kohl walked into his basement, where the guys were hanging out.

"Sure enough, there's Jake just lighting up the pool table," Kohl said. "It's just one of those things. He's very good at a lot of different repeatable, coordinated movements."

Elliott connected with Kohl after his junior high school season and entered the recruiting showcase circuit late. Even after his senior season, when Kohl says Elliott added 5 to 7 yards on his ball flight, Elliott's late start resulted in tepid interest.

Two weeks before signing day, though, Kohl says he received "that magical call" from a friend, James Shibest, then Memphis' special teams coordinator.

"Who's your best available guy?" Kohl recalls being asked. "They had no idea what they were getting."

Elliott, projected to be drafted in the sixth or seventh round, measured only 5-foot-9 at the Senior Bowl, but, as Memphis would attest now, his height is only a distraction from his athleticism.

Although Gostkowski played at Memphis, Elliott is the Tigers' record-holder for points (445), field goals made (81) and consecutive extra points made (202). In 2016, Memphis ranked second in the country in kickoff coverage, allowing just 16 yards per return. A Lou Groza Award finalist in 2015 and two-time semifinalist, Elliott also was a first-team academic All-American last season, majoring in marketing management.

Jake Elliott Mike Kittrell / Chicago Tribune

Jake Elliott practices for the Reese's Senior Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

Jake Elliott practices for the Reese's Senior Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

(Mike Kittrell / Chicago Tribune)

Gostkowski has seen for himself why he no longer holds some of Memphis' kicking records. He has appreciated his summer sessions with Elliott.

"It's kind of humbling to go out there and get pushed by a college guy," he said. "But he's just that good."

Kohl, who has closely followed as much of Elliott's kicking career as anyone, sees how Elliott's mentality and athleticism combine to produce repeatable technique. The evidence is in the height of and force behind his kicks.

"He's able to get his full leverage that he has — which, he's not the tallest guy in the world — but he's able to use all of his torque and rotation to get a clean ball that comes off his foot extremely fast," Kohl said. "That's what NFL guys want. They want a guy who can hit a ball that doesn't get beat up by the wind or other things."

Kohl chuckles about Elliott's progress, remembering the inexperienced high school senior who approached signing day without a scholarship offer. His evolution was on full display alongside other NFL draft hopefuls at their recent workouts.

"Four years later, on the same field with all the guys who got offered in front of him, he's beating their tails," Kohl said. "They're all looking at him, like, 'Man, that guy is good.'"

Chicago Tribune's David Haugh contributed.

rcampbell@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @Rich_Campbell

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