USF punter reaches new heights, reflects on Australian roots

TAMPA, Fla. - Andrew Stokes never grew up dreaming of becoming a punter. Rather, his dreams lay on the football fields back in Australia. 

Now, he's doing his kicking at Raymond James Stadium for the USF Bulls as the team's starting punter.

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"We grew up kicking the ball in the backyard with our dad since we could walk," said Stokes. 

Though punting was never on Stokes' radar, thanks to Aussie Rules Football, Australia has developed a habit of producing college and professional punters. 

"We pass the ball by punting," explained Andrew. "I think it just goes back to Aussie rules football and what we grew up playing."

And prior to coming to USF, Andrew played his nation's version of football semi-professionally. 

It wasn't until Stokes joined the famous Australian kicking academy, ProKick Australia, that the punter from Perth started to dream a bit bigger. 

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"Why not take an adventure and see where it leads me," Stokes remembers thinking to himself.

Eventually, Stokes caught the attention of USF coaches and signed with the Bulls in 2020. 

"I was selling my car and quitting my job to move to a country that I had never been to all to play a sport that I had never played," said Stokes. 

Putting his Australian football dreams on hold to chase his American football dreams, Stokes made the move to Tampa to start his freshman season at the age of 26. 

"I get called grandpa by a lot of the boys," says Andrew. "There's definitely a couple of coaches who are younger than me, so it's always fun and turned into a bit of a meme I think." 

Now at 29 years old, and with his 30th birthday soon approaching, Andrew Stokes has only gotten better with age and is currently having his best, and healthiest, season in a Bulls uniform, so far.

"The job is not done yet, but it is nice to contribute to the team in a positive way," he said. 

Even as the fourth-oldest active college football player in the country, Andrew Stokes isn't punting on his new dream. 

"I would love to play sport at a high level for a living and if that came in the NFL, I would jump at the chance," said Andrew. 

Through the first four weeks of the season, meanwhile, Andrew has impressed on the field and is ranked 3rd in the American Athletic Conference, and 22nd nationally, in average yards per punt.