Football is all about ball control and field position. When a team is in a close battle, the punter is responsible for good field position. The punter must have a good relationship with the long snapper because he must receive the snap perfectly to allow for optimal time to punt and to achieve the desired angle or distance to push the receiving team as far back as possible. When it is fourth down and your team is in need of good field position, the following three punters are the best in the business entering the 2009 season and will get the job done.
1. Zoltan Mesko (Michigan), a 6’5 238 lbs punter from Timisoara, Ohio, is going to leave the maze and blue a legend. He is entering his fifth year and has already been named to the 2009 preseason Playboy All-American team. He was All-Big 10 last season with a 42.95 yards punting average. That is pretty impressive considering all the work he had to do last year with his teams misfortunes on offense. His hard worked paid off as Zoltan was a Ray Guy award semifinalist last season. Expect more greatness from Zoltan this season.
2. Chas Henry (Florida) is 6’3 222lb Jr. from Dallas, Georgia. He was named 2nd Team All-SEC for his spectacular punts last season. He averaged 42.8 yards/punt. He also booted a career long 67 yard punt against Florida State. If he continues this trend in 2009, he will be considered the #1 0r #2 punter entering the NFL draft.
3. Ross Thevenot (Tulane) is a 6’0 185lb Sr. from Lake Charles, LA. Last season he averaged 45.8 yards per punt. This effort earned him 2nd Team All-Conference recognition. He booted 15 punts over 50 yards, but that’s nothing compared to his 71 yard bomb against SMU. He will continue to do the same in 2009.
Just Missed the List: Bryan Anger (Cal) and Jeremy Boone (Penn State)
