Kentucky football team had a shortened practice Tuesday due to weather
- National Kickoff Specialist of the Week for the Louisville game by the College Football Performance Awards (2010) - SEC Academic Honor Roll (2011, 2012)
Versatile performer can handle placekicks, punting and kickoffs ... Hoping to earn the starting placekicker role following the graduation of Craig McIntosh ... Handled kickoffs for most of his first three seasons ... Hit 38-yard game-winning field goal in the final minute of the 2011 Blue/White Spring Game ... Has played in 30 games.
2012 (Junior): Kicked off in nine games ... Had 12 touchbacks ... His touchback percentage of 42.9 was the best of his career.
2011 (Sophomore): Kicked off in all 12 games ... Had 14 touchbacks ... Helped UK rank fourth in the SEC in net kickoff coverage ... Nailed three touchbacks in the win over Ole Miss.
2010 (Freshman): Kicked off in nine games ... Had 15 touchbacks, tied for the SEC lead ... Recorded a season high in touchbacks with five vs. Akron ... Named the College Football Performance Awards National Kickoff Specialist of the Week for his performance against Louisville, where he kicked off five times, causing three touchbacks.
High School: First-team All-America kicker among medium-sized high schools as selected by MaxPreps.com ... Also named first team on the Georgia "All-Decade" Team by MaxPreps ... Long-range kicker had six field goals over 50 yards during his career ... Made field goals of 59, 56 and 52 yards during his senior season at LaGrange High School ... The 59-yarder is the third-longest in Georgia high school history ... Had touchbacks on 84 percent of his kickoffs ... Punted for a 42.7-yard average ... First-team all-state by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia Sports Writers Association for Class AAA ... The nation's No. 2 punter prospect by Scout.com and the No. 15 kicker as evaluated by Rivals.com ... Averaged 41.4 yards per punt as a junior, with 83 percent of his kickoffs in the end zone ... Four-year starter also hit field goals of 55 yards as a junior, 53 yards as a sophomore and 50 yards as a freshman ... LaGrange, a perennial power, advanced to the state playoffs each season, with a best finish of 11-3 in the state semifinals his junior year ... Continues the tradition of Grangers at UK ... Coached by Steve Pardue ... Played for the winning South team in the Georgia North-South All-Star Game, nailing a pair of field goals and all three extra points in a 27-20 victory ... Very good athlete in addition to his kicking skills ... "Joe is a tremendous talent," Pardue said. "He's a great athlete and could have played another position for us but he was just too valuable in the kicking game. His accuracy consistently improved over the years. He came in a good punter and left a great one." ... Played for the basketball and baseball teams, earning all-region honors in baseball ... Member of the student council and the school's service club ... Honor-roll student.
Personal: Born in LaGrange, Ga. ... Son of Nasor and Emily Mansour ... Name is pronounced "MAN-soo-er" ... Considering a major in management or marketing.
Community Cats: Helped with the Big Blue U Move-In (2011).
Joe Says ... My favorite college class is: calculus ... Other than the NFL, my dream job is: an available one ... What non-football sporting event would you like to attend: Manchester United soccer match ... The one thing I like most about football is: I know it will prepare me for the real world ... My hidden talent is: Scooby Doo impressions ... Something people might not know about me is: I am an athlete, not just a kicker.
