“Endeavor to persevere.” Kickers have to keep a positive mind set to be able to bounce back from missed or blocked kicks.That is why LSU senior kicker Colt David has those words tattooed on his left wrist. It serves as a constant reminder he must always strive forward from kick to kick. “It reminds me when times might get rough to keep my head up and keep working through it,” David said.And David had to do just that during his first year on the team.LSU coach Les Miles recruited David, a Grapevine, Texas native, to originally play at Oklahoma State. “He’s very competitive and very athletic,” said Gary Mullins, David’s high school coach. “He’s a tremendous kid who can run a lot faster than people think.”David started for Grapevine High School when he was a sophomore. He also spent some time at wide receiver.David said he decided to go to a school where he felt he had a shot to immediately make an impact, though the choice was not easy.The senior came to LSU from a family of Ohio State alumni, including his parents. “There was a strong pull for Colt to go to OSU from the family,” said Kathy David, Colt David’s mother. “But he just didn’t want to go up North.”Colt David decided to walk on at LSU, and in his first year, he kicked extra points and short-range field goals behind then-starter Chris Jackson. But David was not sure whether he wanted to stay after his freshman season. He said he felt he never got a chance to “prove himself.”Kathy David said it was more a matter of her son looking at his “potential for playing” as a Tiger.”It was hard for him to determine his position in the lineup,” she said. “It’s hit and miss. You don’t know, so you take a chance.”Mullins, however, had no doubts about Colt’s abilities as a kicker.Since his freshman year, Colt David has taken over full-time placekicking duties.David is taking over a new role this upcoming season: senior leader.Former LSU kicker Sean Gaudet said David acquired a higher level of discipline over the past few years.”He has taken on more of a leadership role as the new head of the special teams by setting an example for the younger players to follow,” Gaudet said.Sophomore kicker and punter Josh Jasper said David’s leadership is a good influence on and off the field.”I look up to him,” Jasper said. “He’s been a tremendous leader. Off the field, he’s always collected himself as he’s supposed to. On [the field], he’s always working on his fundamentals.”Mullins said it comes as no surprise to him that David has been such a great leader to the younger players.”He’s the kind of kid that … led by example,” Mullins said. “He didn’t say a lot, but he was a great leader for our younger kickers.”David will have some added pressure on his legs this season because he is riding a huge wave of success from his past two seasons.David converted on his last 72 extra points the last two seasons, earning him 2007 First-Team All-Southeastern Conference and 2008 Preseason First-Team All-SEC honors.Last season, David set the single-season SEC record with 147 points — six of those coming on a rushing touchdown against South Carolina. The touchdown marked the first time a Tiger scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point since Doug Moreau against Tulane in 1965.He broke five single-season school records, including points scored by kicking and total field goals made. He scored 141 points and made 26 field goals this past season.David ranks fifth on the Tigers’ all-time scoring list with 278 points and is 30 points shy of former running back Kevin Faulk’s record of 318.But David said he will not allow any of his recent success to faze him.”It’s a great honor,” David said. “But it’s just preseason. Last year was last year. This year I’m looking forward to a brand new slate and a brand new year.”David said he has to keep a positive attitude at all times as a kicker, especially because kickers have so much pressure placed upon them. “It’s all a mental game,” David said. “It’s your fault for this and that, but you have to move on to the next kick or game.”Kathy David said her son’s mental toughness stems back to his days of playing select soccer when he was 12 years old.”Colt has always been extremely grounded,” she said. “He is able to block out the sound [of the crowd]. He doesn’t even see them.”Colt David’s father, Gary David, expressed the same sentiments.”He is able to focus on what he needs to do,” he said. “He has the ability to blank everyone out.”Miles said he has every ounce of faith in his kicker.”I expect him to have another good year,” Miles said. “We might need to work on field-goal protection, but other than that I think we’ll be good.”—-Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]