Cam Guess didn’t know it then, but meeting Ben Sauls through Hammer Kicking Academy in high school changed his life forever.
Guess — a 5-foot-11, 205-pound punter/holder from Belle Vernon in Belle Vernon, Pa. — and Sauls initially bonded during their time together with Adam Tanalski and HKA. A quickly-struck friendship evolved as the pair trained together, competed against each other and dreamed of one day ending up at the same school together.
Sure, they may have been competing, but it benefited both of them. They could thrive together at the college level as a punting and kicking duo, but more importantly, they could stay together.
“I’m very grateful for that,” Guess said after practice Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
It wasn’t always a given, or even an actual plan. They committed elsewhere initially but the road led to Pittsburgh in the end. In the class of 2020 together. Guess arrived as a punter, and Sauls arrived as a kicker. If everything worked out, they’d sit for a season or two, learn from the incumbent starters, and take over together.
It didn’t exactly go according to plan — for Guess. Sauls sat behind long-term starter Alex Kessman in the 2020 season, lost a battle against walk-on Sam Scarton (sitting for another season) and won the job back before the 2022 season. He’s entering his third season as the starting placekicker.
Guess didn’t receive an opportunity to punt until the 2022 season. And it didn’t go well. He averaged 35.2 yards per punt on 12 attempts and transitioned into his role as a full-time holder.
He was the holder when Sauls nailed five field goals to secure a win in the 2022 Sun Bowl. He was the holder all last season, despite his days of punting likely behind him. But he wasn’t sure if he wanted to come back for another season. So, why did he decide to come back?
“Well, first and foremost, Ben Sauls,” Guess said. “Me and Ben, we’ve known each other since freshman year in high school, we go way back. And last year, I graduated and obviously not the greatest year. Not everything we wanted. So, I had a couple of talks with Ben, my family and his family together, and we just bonded so much that he kind of convinced me, why end on that one when I have another year and we can come back and do something special?
“One of the goals for me is to help him in any way get to the league because he’s an NFL-capable kicker. So, I wanna do anything in my power that I can do to aid that.”
But Guess is also able to admit that he wasn’t quite ready to find a job yet either. He graduated with a degree in marketing and supply sales, so he’d have looked for a job in sales. But he wasn’t ready for that, and he wasn’t ready to leave Sauls — or any of his teammates.
“It sounds a little corny, but he’s like a brother to me,” Guess said. “An extra family member. I’d do anything for him, so he asked and it didn’t take a lot of convincing, that’s the main reason.”
So, the friends are back for one more season. There may be a couple of new snappers (Nilay Upadhyayula and Nico Crawford), but the connection between Guess and Sauls remains the same. A lot goes into field goal kicking, much more than just the kick, and that sometimes goes under the radar. Guess is focused on doing all he can to help Sauls be perfect — now and in the future.
“I think that helping him mature and get his mental right and just prepare him for that next step, I want to be there every step of the way, just preparing him,” Guess said. “And even when he gets there, always on the phone call, just making sure his mind’s right and preparing him for the next step.”
Guess and Sauls have built a lasting relationship, one that goes far beyond what it means to be a holder and a kicker.
