Two decades ago, If I told you Australians would be taking the NFL by storm, you would have probably thought that I was crazy. Here we are though. It’s 2018 and colleges and universities across America are setting their sights 10,000 miles away from where the game was invented, focusing on those raised by Punting.

In Australia, kids learn to kick, and when they’ve run out of more appealing uses for their foot, they turn to punting.

Footy, for those uninitiated, is Australian-rules football, a sport that’s closer to soccer or rugby than American football. It’s the sport most Australian kids hope to play when they grow up, and when the dream fades the fallback plan is punting.

It is, in many ways, the most un-American of entry points to American football.

In Aussie rules, the kickers learn to boot it for hang time, learn to place the ball on a dime, learn to get kicks off quick and angle them just right.

However, they learn to kick long and high, because that’s what sells their game film in the U.S. They learn to kick consistently, because that’s what keeps them atop a depth chart once they arrive. They learn to boot the ball all over the field, because versatility makes them valuable.

Their unique style of booting the ball has taken the U.S by storm, replacing the more mainstream punters who have been around since the game began. Now a days, coaches rely on kick placement to limit returns from opposing teams, which is a skill sought out at an early age by Australian Footy players.

With colleges and universities such as, Wake Forest, North Carolina, NC State, James Madison as well as the Seattle Seahawks taking on Aussie punters, it is only a matter of time before they become the majority.

Football is game of field position and when coaches find those who are “experts” at what they do, it is hard to deny the impact that they can have on the outcome.

“NFL Nation”, a sports blog established by ESPN, provides everyday fans with information and analysis pertaining to all 32 teams and various players throughout the league. One of the most respected blogs ESPN has to offer, “NFL Nation” captivates its consumers with their superior formatting as well as insight from analysts that cannot be found anywhere else.

At first glance, the writers of ESPN and those who contribute to their blogs follow established AP style rules. In doing this, these writers can provide fans with the proper information in a clear an concise manner, limiting confusion for consumers while getting to the point.

The headlines that are included within these various blog posts are often used in a way so that fans can find them easily. By including key words within the headline of a blog, it allows fans to find what they are looking for and to gain knowledge and insight on their desired topic.

The benefits of using AP style far outweigh the negatives. This blog will follow AP style format, providing those who interact with information in a manner that will appeal solely to their needs.

http://kwese.espn.com/blog/nflnation

Punting. It’s something that goes unnoticed in the game of football. Fans often recognize only those who “contribute” to the game. However, contrary to popular belief, punters are some of the most important contributors within the game of football.

While it is indeed helpful for teams to have guys who can make plays, punters are playmakers of their own. Being a punter, the name of the game is field position. When a punter pins the opposing team inside the 20 yard-line, the touchdown rate decreases to less than 20 percent.

It used to be that punters stuck to one specific punt, consisting of a high spiraling ball with great distance and hang time. The evolution of the game of football over the last decade however has led to punters changing their game as well. Now a days, punters have up to 10 different punts and in some cases more in their “bag”. Some of these are used for hang time while others are used for distance. Some consist of pinning a team deep in their own territory while some consist of driving the ball towards the sideline to limit the vertical return.

I’m here for one reason. I’m not about the “punters are people too” movement. I’m about showing the world the importance of punting within the game of  football. From the guys who are punting for a living, to the techniques and trends that special teamers are setting, you can find it here on this blog.

Let’s go on a journey together. It’ll be one you won’t regret.

Thanks for joining me!

I’m Hunter Stephenson. I am a redshirt sophomore punter at Elon University. This is my third ever season as a football player and I feel like I have a lot to say about the world of punting.

I’m a sport management major here at Elon and would one day love to attain a job in the world of sports. For my Sports Information class, we were assigned the task of writing a sports blog and what better to talk about than punting, something I know best.