A few years back, the University of Utah plugged into a pipeline that would prove to be invaluable for their football program, as Tom Hackett arrived from Australia in 2012. After his career, which included multiple All Pac-12 and All-American honors, along with pair of Ray Guy trophies, there was bound to be some drop off at the punter position, right? Well, wrong, actually, as fellow Aussie Mitch Wishnowsky would have something to say about that.

Wishnowsky, who attended Pro Kick Australia—the same school that Hackett came out of—joined the team in 2016 after a season of JuCo ball, and immediately there were whispers that the Utes once again had something special. Wishnowsky would go on to show that he had a booming leg, routinely sending the ball 50-60 yards downfield. However, he would also prove that he had exceptional touch on his punts, and that combination of power and accuracy helped him earn All-American and All Pac-12 honors for two years straight, along with a Ray Guy award of his own in 2016.

On top of being a terrific punter, Wishnowsky has proven on multiple occasions that he’s no slouch of an athlete, either. Just look at last season, where he made an impressive shoestring tackle against BYU speedster Jonah Trinnaman on a kickoff return. His athleticism was also on display at Washington, where he ran a fake punt 19 yards on 4th and 17 to help extend a drive that would ultimately end in a touchdown.

10 years ago, who would have thought that it would be entertaining to watch a punter? Both Hackett and Wishnosky made that possible and now the Aussie floodgates are open, as schools look for their next punter. For his senior season, Wishnowsky will be in the running for more postseason honors, and though it’s sometimes difficult for punters to break into the NFL, his strong leg, accuracy, and ability to handle kickoffs could make him a prime candidate for the next level.

Special Contributor Golden Whetman’s Take:

He’s an Aussie style punter, which wasn’t even a thing back in my day. I’ve never been taught that style, even though I’d love to do it. I imagine he’s HIGHLY motivated after a down year—for his standards—and missing out on the Ray Guy Award, which ended the run of Utes winning. He easily has NFL punter size and leg strength at 6-foot-3. I’m most impressed with his height on his kicks, which is critical to the net yardage statistic.

In spring I saw him warm up and practice traditional style punting and he can bomb it when he connects. He has great leg whip coming up through the ball, with great leg extension—hence his power to then, height. The most important part to traditional punting is the drop, which is so totally opposite of an Aussie kick. From what I’ve seen in person, he’s developed into a good traditional punter and most likely just needs more experience in that style to be more consistent. But I’m a big fan of his with both styles. I love his competitive nature when he misses a kick. That will be a huge motivator for him to prove he’s capable of punting in the league.

I see Mitch having his best year this year, as one more year of experience coupled with missing out on the Ray Guy, gives him extra motivation and puts the Utes in the best punting situation in the conference.

Alex Remembers Wishnowsky’s Recruitment:

Wishnowsky was an early commit to the Utes for the class of 2015. Linked to the Utes through Nathan Chapman through Pro Kick Australia—who has said that Utah will always be given preferential treatment when they need a punter. Wishnowsky came to the Utes after a brief stop at Santa Barbara CC—which, in a way, you could say he was stashed there. After gaining some experience as a freshman, he made his commitment and then redshirted, in order to maximize his years at Utah.

While other schools had shown interest, he never really reciprocated it back because of his strong interest in following his fellow Aussie. When he committed, he joking told me, “Hopefully with me, they’re not going to miss Tom too much.” And so far, I think he’s done a pretty dang good of becoming a legend, himself.