Tom Hutton, the 28-year-old Australian punter, prepares to arrive in Stillwater as the favorite for next season’s starting job.
Hutton comes from ProKick Australia, a Melbourne-based organization that’s been churning out skilled punters, including former Texas punter and current Seattle Seahawk Michael Dickson. The school develops kicking specialists while college teams submit requests, and it brings back prospects who fit each team’s needs.
It’s a process that head man Nathan Chapman compares to customizing and purchasing a pizza. Hutton must have some talent to get recruited a decade later than the average FBS athlete. And OSU head coach Mike Gundy said he was adamant in finding an Aussie punter after the Cowboys faced Dickson and the Longhorns in a 2017 victory.