Michigan is looking to fill a spot on special teams at the punter position, and one option the Wolverines could come from Australia. Well, technically.
Blake O’Neill, born in Australia, is a graduate from Weber State. He is hoping to land a walk-on spot at Michigan for the fall. He would be eligible to play right away as a graduate transfer. The former Australian Football player averaged 44.1 yards per punt last season according to Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com. That is about a yard and a half more per punt compared to Michigan’s team average last fall. O’Neil announced he is scheduled to visit Michigan today.
Michigan was solid in the punting game last season with Will Hagerup getting plenty of work in 2014. Hagerup has graduated and moved on, leaving the Wolverines with a key spot to fill at an often overlooked position. In football, you don’t know how valuable a punter can be until you lose a good one.