Purdue looked down under to flip the field.
It seems like every Big Ten team is required by law to have an Australian or Kiwi punter these days. Purdue got in on the act last year with Jack Ansell, who at 23 years old became one of the few true freshman to play last season.
Jack Ansell – So.
Warrnambool, Australia (Brauer College)
6’2”, 205 pounds
Punter
2022 Projection: Starter
There has been a rush on Aussie punters of late, as coaches have discovered that the Aussie Rules football style lends itself well for punting in the American game. Last season 56 FBS schools employed a punter from Australia, inclusing seven from the Big Ten. This doesn’t count Indiana, either, whose punter is from New Zealand. Miami punter Lou Hedley is perhaps the most famous one.
As for Ansell, his debut season was a tad rough. He punted 44 times on the year, but only had a 38.25 yard average with 13 dropped inside the 20. He ended up splitting time with Brendan Cropsey (5 punts) and Zac Collins (2 punts), but Purdue finished last in the conference at just 38.3 yards per kick.
Ideally we don’t see Ansell that much this year because the offense is just doing that well. I am fine with him staying on the sidelines because we keep scoring. He will be called upon though from time to time, so hopefully he shows some improvement in year 2.