Baylor Red Raiders

Phil Massey is Baylor's head football coach. Five area high schools scrimmaged at Bradley Central High School Saturday, August 1, 2015.

Pedal to the metal

The pipeline of Brazilian soccer players at Baylor continues. For the third time this decade the Red Raiders have plucked a Brazilian exchange student from the soccer team, with no previous experience in American football. And much like his predecessors, senior Victor Ulmo has the natural ability and eagerness to learn the sport to become a weapon.

"Kicking a soccer ball and a football are very different, but within a few minutes he was making adjustments and picking it up," said Baylor kicking coach Bo Bohanan, who helped Henrique Ribeiro and Rafael Gaglinone become state Mr. Football finalists and earn college scholarships. "He's good enough now that we feel good about him making one from about 55 yards in, and his consistency on the mid-range kicks has really gotten better. He'll kick at the next level."

The 5-foot-5, 175-pound Ulmo attended Alabama's summer kicking camp and was chosen as one of the top 20 of the more than 200 kickers there. He converted several extra-point attempts last season but has yet to attempt a varsity field goal.

The toughest transitions were playing in heavy pads, learning the rules of the game and learning the meaning of English slang words. He still catches himself speaking his native Portuguese sometimes.

"Having two guys from Brazil who have already played here and went on to college makes me excited to know I can follow in their footsteps," said Ulmo, whose brother played soccer at Radford University. "I never thought American football would be a way for me to go to college, but that's what I'm working toward now."

Capsule by Stephen Hargis; contact shargis@timesfreepress.com or follow on Twitter: @StephenHargis