Earlier this week, it was announced that Nebraska will be changing to a “Rugby-Style” type of punting. This will be the first time in program history that Nebraska will not run the traditional style of punting as its main punting style. So why is Nebraska changing things? After all, we all know the saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it”. While Nebraska’s punting hasn’t been a problem, the special teams as a whole have been. Remember back to last December when Coach Rhule said the special teams would go through a “complete and total overhaul”? Well, he wasn’t lying. Coach Foley got demoted to an administrative role, and Coach Ekeler came in with a sledgehammer and a plan. Part of that plan is to find any and all advantages we can find on the field, and that’s where switching to rugby-style punting comes in.
Rugby-style punting has been in college football for over 20 years now, becoming more popular over time. The demand for rugby kickers has grown so much that there are dedicated kicking camps in Australia where all they do is train rugby players to become football players. These camps can cost upwards of $10,000. While they are expensive, their track record of landing Aussie kickers scholarships to an American university speaks for itself. In 2023, 61 of 133 FBS schools had a punter/kicker from Australia. If that doesn’t get the point across, the fact that eight of the last ten winners of the Ray Guy Award have all been from Australia should really make it clear that punting rugby style is the way to go. But what difference is there versus the traditional punt?
When you punt rugby style, the setup is the same as if you were punting normally. The punter lines up roughly 14 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and the block formation is usually pretty similar. From here is where things change. Instead of taking a few steps, dropping the ball, and watching the ball fall as your foot makes contact, a rugby punter does a lot different. Once the ball is snapped to a rugby punter, they will run at an angle toward the line of scrimmage and kick while on the move, with their heads up and keeping their eyes on the downfield coverage. Ideally, your rugby-style punter is ambipedal, meaning they can kick with both feet. This means they can run to the left or right during punts and make things difficult for the returning team. The benefits don’t just stop there, though. The fact that the punter is now running means the threat of a fake will always be there, especially since their heads are up and constantly watching to see if the returning team doesn’t cover the punter. But if the rugby-style punt is great, why don’t they use it in the NFL?
The main reason you don’t see rugby-style punts in the NFL is simple, the rules are different. In the NFL only the outside gunners can release before the ball is kicked, whereas in college all the players can release before the ball is kicked. So, in college the rugby style punter can hold onto the ball until the last second and then kick it, giving his team enough time to run down the field. A traditional punter will launch a ball in a spiral over a long arch, ideally with about one second of hangtime per ten yards it travels in order to give your team the time to run down the field.
The benefits don’t stop there. A rugby style punter has multiple ways to punt the ball. They can kick it “torpedo” style where the ball is launched into a spiral to send the ball as far as possible, just like a traditional punt. The “banana kick” is when the ball is angled across the foot causing it to tumble through the air and curve away from a returner, making it very difficult to field. The last form of punt is the drop punt. The drop punt is kicked with the end of the ball facing downwards and kicked end over end. The drop punt usually doesn’t travel far, so it is used more in a “pooch” punt situation where you are trying to down your opponent inside the 10 yard line. So regardless of the situation or where you are on the field there is always a way to punt the ball successfully.
The switch to a rugby-style punting system marks a bold and strategic move aimed at gaining a competitive edge on special teams. While traditional punting has served the program well in the past, the overall inconsistency on special teams demand innovation, and this is exactly what Coach Rhule and Coach Ekeler are delivering. Rugby-style punting not only adds unpredictability and versatility to the punting game but also introduces a new layer of pressure for opposing return units. With the ability to kick in multiple styles, extend plays, and keep defenses guessing, this shift isn’t just about change for the sake of change, it’s about maximizing every possible advantage. If Nebraska can execute this approach effectively, it may just turn the special teams into a real weapon moving forward.