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The Miami Hurricanes have undergone a lot of change since their 35-3 bowl game loss to Wisconsin on December 27, 2018. Former head coach Mark Richt resigned and the university wasted no time in promoting defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to head coach. Ever since he took the job, he has taken full advantage of the transfer portal, adding high profile transfers Tate Martell, Bubba Bolden, and KJ Osborn.
Diaz’s ability to recruit is still to be determined, but his first signee will be memorable in punter Louis Hedley. A punter signing for a major college football is not usually memorable, but Hedley is not your average punter.
For starters, the Australian punter is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and punted for the City College of San Francisco.
Hedley is covered in tattoos and looks more like a bouncer at a night club than a punter. ESPN reporter Tom VanHaaren said that Hedley is the most intimidating punter of the 2019 class. The Australian punter is also older than most junior college recruits as he worked in the Australian desert for eight years as a scaffolder.
The 24-year old Hedley grew up playing Australian Rules football, which has more similarities to rugby than football.
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According to the City College of San Francisco’s student newspaper, Hedley had been playing semi-pro Austrian Rules football in Western Australia before coming to America. He decided to give punting a shot when someone noticed how far he could punt the ball during a game. Hedley is more athletic than your average punter as he had a 56-yard run on a fake punt during his time in junior college.
It is very unlikely that Diaz will have Hedley running fake punts, but the Aussie fills a significant need for the Hurricanes. Miami struggled mightily in the punting game last year, as they have been one of the nation’s worst units over the past two years. Hedley comes to Miami with three years of eligibility and looks to improve one of the worst punting units in the nation.
