University of Tennessee punter Jackson Ross is 27 years old, with the fifth-year senior five years removed from his days in Australian Rules Football.
The 6-foot-4, 204-pounder from Melbourne once knew nothing about how football worked in the United States, but his time in Knoxville has changed all of that. His enjoyment of the sport isn’t just relegated to Saturdays, either.
“I was a bit foreign to the game coming over, but I’ve really started to enjoy watching it — Thursday night football, Sunday night football, Monday night football,” Ross said during a news conference last week. “It just gives me something to sit back and watch. I’ve got a few fantasy teams going, so my knowledge has definitely grown, that’s for sure.”
Should Ross continue the steady ascension he has produced during his time with the Volunteers, folks may be watching him on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays in the not-too-distant future.
Ross may be the most underrated member of Tennessee’s roster, having averaged 43.4 yards a punt throughout his career to rank third in program history behind Trevor Daniel (45.7 from 2015-17) and Jimmy Colquitt (43.9 from 1981-84). He has 63 career punts downed inside the 20-yard line and 22 career punts of 50-plus yards.