When you think about NC State football players who made it to the NFL, legends like quarterback Philip Rivers or Super Bowl champion Russel Wilson probably come to mind. The Wolfpack has supplied a plethora of quarterbacks to the NFL, earning the nickname “Quarterback University” because of the number of former Pack quarterbacks in the pros.
Recently, NC State hasn’t been producing NFL talents at the quarterback position, but some would argue it has produced NFL players at the most important position as of late.
I think it’s time we crown NC State “Punter University.”
Not only did the Wolfpack have one of the best punters in the ACC last season in redshirt junior Caden Noonkester, but it had two Pack Pros that shined at the position.
NC State is one of two colleges that currently has multiple starting punters in the NFL, the other being Penn State. This might mean there’s a little debate on which college can crown itself “Punter University,” but there’s no question that the best punter in the NFL used to don the red-and-white.
Let me introduce you to one of the most intimidating figures in the NFL. He strikes fear into his opponents whenever he trots onto the field after his offense fails to get a first down. Special teams coordinators on the opposing sidelines don’t know what to tell their unit because they understand there is nothing they can do when Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole is ready to slaughter a football with elite precision.
Cole earned his second first-team All-Pro nomination in the last three years and was named to the Pro Bowl for the third-straight season. If the Raiders had a better record last season, he would’ve been up for MVP consideration based on the season he had.
The former Wolfpack punter had the best punting performance in NFL history against the New York Giants last season. Against the Giants, Cole averaged 63.6 yards per punt, setting the NFL record for best gross average in one game. The Raiders won the game, and there’s no doubt that Cole was the best player on the field that day.
Since breaking an NFL record wasn’t enough, Cole decided to unleash an 83-yard bomb in a game against the Minnesota Vikings, breaking the Raiders franchise record for longest punt. This man has an absolute cannon attached to his leg while also being able to place punts with lethal precision.
Every coach fears Cole because when he is in a position to pin an opponent deep in its territory, he delivers nearly every time. He was top five in punts inside the 20-yard line and had two games where all his punts were inside the 20, including all four against the Green Bay Packers.
Net average is the punting stat most people look at to determine who the best punter is because it calculates touchbacks and return yards, not just how far the punt went. You can probably guess who led in that department — none other than Cole. He had a net average of 45.1 yards, which also ranks fourth in NFL history for a single season.
Cole’s resume should be enough to convince almost everyone that NC State is a punting factory, but for the few who aren’t convinced, I present to you Chicago Bears punter Trenton Gill.
While Gill isn’t close to the level of Cole, he just finished his second season, while Cole didn’t have his breakout season until year three.
Gill has been mostly inconsistent since the Bears drafted him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft. He ranks near the middle in about every punting stat, but the potential is there for the young punter.
There is no doubt Gill has a rocket of a leg, evidenced by his 76-yard punt against the Arizona Cardinals. What Gill has to improve upon is his ability to punt with accuracy, a skill that Cole has mastered.
The Bears’ punter had eight touchbacks last season and only 18 punts inside the 20-yard line, meaning most of the time he wasn’t putting his opponent in bad field position. But there is plenty of reason for optimism because Gill played his best at the end of the season. In the last three games, he had four punts inside the 20 and had a net average over 45 in two of those contests.
If you didn’t know, now you know: NC State football is “Punter University.”
