Auburn football: Tigers go Down Under to find new punter
Just like in 2017, Auburn has added an Aussie punter to the roster.
For the past two seasons, the punter position for Auburn football has been filled by an Australian. After that player, 27-year-old Arryn Siposs, decided to leave early for the NFL, Auburn had to look for someone to fill his spot
Well, apparently the Tigers would follow the same route they did with Siposs and look for his replacement in the land down under. It appears they’ve finally found their guy as former Australian rules football player Oscar Chapman committed to the Tigers on Tuesday.
I am excited to announce that I have received and accepted a blue shirt full scholarship to play football and study at Auburn University! I’m very grateful for this opportunity. Thank you @CoachGusMalzahn, @CoachLPorter, @BenLarsonAU , @ProkickAus , @JohnnyPKA , @ConquestCQ #WDE pic.twitter.com/EY9E0q9jvR
— Oscar Chapman (@Oscar_Chapman1) July 21, 2020
Like Siposs, Chapman, a native of Adelaide, Australia, is a product of ProKick Australia, a program that specializes in transitioning Australian kickers, punters and athletes to American football.
As for Siposs, the Aussie started at punter for both of his two years at Auburn. In his career, he attempted 117 punts, averaged 44.0 yards per punt downed 33 punts inside the 20-yard line and only allowed 25 combined punt returns in two seasons.
After forgoing his senior season, Siposs was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Detroit Lions this past April.
The trend of recruiting Australian punters and kickers into college football has increased exponentially in the last decade or so and many schools across the country have followed suit.
Since the ProKick Australia program was founded in 2007 it has brought over 75 players to either college or pro football, has produced 17 All-Americans and five Ray Guy Award winners.
As for Auburn, Chapman’s commitment couldn’t have come at a better time. The Tigers’ only punter on the roster was walk-on Patrick Markwalter. The Atlanta native served as the backup punter last season as a freshman but did not see any action.
Per Rivals’ Nathan King, Chapman should report to campus around August 1. If Siposs’ transition from the land Down Under and subsequent success is any indication, Auburn should be in pretty good hands going forward at the punter position.
Chapman will take a blue shirt once he arrives at Auburn which means he will receive his scholarship at the start of practice once he arrives on campus. This means Chapman’s commitment will essentially be counted towards Auburn’s scholarship numbers for the next recruiting cycle.
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