FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – For the first time in several years, the punting situation in Arkansas will look different. The hype surrounding Australian punters seems to have died down a bit. In 2023, Arkansas was among 12 of 14 teams in the SEC to use an Australian punter. ProKick Australia revolutionized punting in both college football and the NFL with the Rugby Punt.
But with Max Fletcher joining his brother in Tennessee, Devin Bale now takes over punting duties for the Razorbacks after redshirting his first year after transferring from Northern Colorado. This year, only half of the 16 SEC teams have a punter from Australia on their roster.
While Scott Fountain, the Hogs’ special teams coordinator, didn’t promise any rugby kicks in fall camp, he did hint that Bale’s unique skills are just waiting to be put to use in a game.
“He (Bale) has what it takes,” Fountain said in early August. “Max had more rugby kicks. Devin can certainly do a lot too and we’ll try to put it all together over the course of the training camp.”
For Bale, it’s the light at the end of a tunnel after a long and winding journey. He landed a scholarship with the Razorbacks after being a preferred walk-on at Northern Colorado, which still means so much even in the world of NIL.
“It’s just a blessing,” Bale said. “I’ve been working towards this for three years, since my freshman year. Time is paying off. I’m very lucky and blessed and couldn’t be more grateful to coach Fountain and coach (Sam) Pittman for giving me this opportunity.”
Bale can finally fulfill his dream of playing football and punting in the SEC. No one knows exactly how much Bale’s services will be needed, as the Petrino-led offense has seemingly improved and should score more points. However, Arkansas averaged 4.9 punts per game, good for the fifth-highest in the SEC.
“I always had a dream to play in the SEC,” Bale said. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it there or anything. I just had a dream and a desire to go to a bigger school.”
Pittman also said he would forgo the analytics book that constantly told him to go for it on fourth down, which should theoretically lead to more punts for Bale.
“It’s a damn book that doesn’t have to talk to the media or lose the game,” Pittman said last year of using analytics. “Every damn time it was ‘Go ahead, coach, go the other way first.'”
Arkansas’ new-look special teams are less than a week away from kickoff. The Razorbacks will face UAPB on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
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