This Texas football freshman could be in line to start in 2024

While meeting last month with members of the local media, Texas football special teams coordinator Jeff Banks shared an obvious observation.

“Michael Dickson’s not here. Cam Dicker’s not here. Ryan Sanborn’s not here,” Banks said.

Sure enough, Dickson is not in Austin anymore. He’s entering his seventh season as the Seattle Seahawks’ punter. Meanwhile, Dicker recently kicked a 58-yard field goal in a preseason game for the Los Angeles Chargers and Sanborn is trying to land a job in the NFL. That’s all to say: Texas needs a new punter.

Texas Longhorn special teams coach Jeff Banks during the first day with pads in fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Monday, August 5, 2024.

So who is up next at a school that is less than seven years removed from winning a Ray Guy Award with Dickson? Sophomore Ian Ratliff and freshman Michael Kern are the only two players who are listed as punters on the Texas roster. Junior Charlie Feris is identified as a kicker on the team’s website, but Banks has said he’s also a candidate for the position.

Feris and Ratliff are both walk-ons who have yet to appear in a game at Texas. That leaves Kern the likely front-runner for this position since he was a member of UT’s 2024 recruiting class.

Kern is a Florida native who attended  St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. While he was with the Raiders, Kern won three state championships. As a senior, he averaged 46.3 yards per punt, was rated as the No. 4 punter in the Class of 2024 on the 247Sports composite rankings, and participated in the All-American Bowl.

“We think (he’s) the best punter in the country,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said on signing day. “We think this guy’s got a skill set for the future.”

Kern will be tutored at Texas by Banks, who punted at Washington State from 1996-97. Banks was once an…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-football-freshman-could-line-150108961.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-08-16 15:01:08

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