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Adam Korsak

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Adam Korsak
refer to caption
Korsak with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2024
No. 10 – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1997-10-31) 31 October 1997 (age 27)
Melbourne, Australia
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Maribyrnong College (Maribyrnong, Victoria, Australia)
College:Rutgers (2018–2022)
CFL draft:2023G / round: 1 / pick: 3
Career history
Roster status:Active
CFL status:Global
Career highlights and awards
NCAA records
  • Career punts (349)
  • Career punting yards (15,318)
  • Single season net punting average (45.3)
Stats at CFL.ca

Adam Korsak (born 31 October 1997) is an Australian gridiron football punter for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The all-time NCAA record-holder for career punts, punting yards and single-season net average, he was named the 2022 winner of the Ray Guy Award.

Early life

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Korsak was born on 31 October 1997 in Melbourne, Victoria.[1] He grew up in the Melbourne suburb Maribyrnong and played cricket, Australian rules football and golf.[2][3] He was a member of the Victorian under 15s cricket team and was teammates with Will Pucovski.[3] Korsak attended Maribyrnong College and graduated as part of the class of 2015, after which he studied at the University of Melbourne for a year.[4][5]

In 2016, Korsak attended the Prokick Australia camp held by Nathan Chapman, and his performance there led to an athletic scholarship offer to play American football at Rutgers University in the U.S., which he accepted.[2][6] Korsak had played Madden NFL 06, watched several Cleveland Browns games and the film Any Given Sunday to learn the rules of the sport.[2]

College career

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Korsak was given a two-star rating and placed as the seventh-best punter recruit in 247Sports' rankings.[7] During his first year at Rutgers, he set the school record for longest punt with a kick of 79 yards.[8] He started all 12 games that year, being named honorable mention all-conference while posting a team-record with a 40.1 net punt average.[2][9] Korsak totaled 78 punts on the year for 3,333 yards, with a gross average[a] of 42.7 yards-per-punt.[10]

In 2019, Korsak thrice was named winner of the weekly Ray Guy Award for best punter nationally, additionally being a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award given to the best punter overall on the year.[11] He appeared in every game and posted a total of 76 punts for 3,327 yards, having a long of 69 with only two touchbacks and 31 kicks inside the 20, while ranking first in the Big Ten Conference with a net average of 41.5.[1][11][12] After the season, Korsak was named second-team all-conference by both the league's coaches and Associated Press (AP).[11][13]

Korsak appeared in all nine games during the 2020 season (which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic), posting 48 punts for 2,062 yards (a gross average of 43.0), including a long of 66 with no touchbacks and 21 inside the 20-yard line.[14] He had a net average of 42.3, placing ninth nationally in that category.[1] He was named co-team captain with Isiah Pacheco starting in 2020, a rare achievement for a player at his position and a role he would serve in for the rest of his Rutgers tenure, and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches as well as second-team honors from the media and Phil Steele.[9][15]

In 2021, Korsak started all 13 games and set college football's all-time record with a 45.3 net average.[1] He was named second-team All-American, first-team all-conference, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award and Rutgers' most valuable player after posting 72 kicks for 3,299 yards.[1][10][16][17] He was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week twice and Ray Guy Player of the Week twice, with 38 of his punts going inside the 20-yard line.[9] After the season, he opted to return for a final year.[18]

Korsak started all 12 games in 2022, recording 75 punts for 3,297 yards (for a gross average of 44.0), including 32 kicks landing inside the 20.[1][10] He twice earned punter of the week honors, was named first-team All-American by The Sporting News, and despite being named only third-team All-Big Ten, was named the Ray Guy Award winner as the best punter nationally.[9][16][19] He was the first first-team All-American at Rutgers since 2006, and by being Ray Guy Award winner became the only player at the school to ever win a national on-field award.[9] His kicks were returned for -11 yards on the year, and in all but one game no positive returns were recorded against him.[16] Against Penn State, he set the NCAA all-time record for career punting yards, and also finished his career as the all-time leader in punts, with 15,318 yards and 349 punts.[9][20] Korsak ended his stint at Rutgers having not a single punt blocked and a streak of 150 consecutive kicks without a touchback.[16]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 0+7⁄8 in
(1.85 m) 		187 lb
(85 kg) 		29+3⁄8 in
(0.75 m) 		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)
All values from NFL Combine[21][22]

Korsak was selected in the eighth round (61st overall) of the 2023 USFL draft by the New Jersey Generals.[23] He was also drafted in the first round (3rd overall) in the 2023 CFL Global Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[24] After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, he was invited to rookie minicamps with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.[25] He then signed with the Roughriders on 21 May 2023.[26] Korsak won the punter job following training camp, displacing the incumbent, Kaare Vedvik. Korsak played in all 18 regular season games in 2023, where he punted 117 times with a 47.9–yard average and had six singles and two special teams tackles.[27]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ A gross average is the average distance of how far a player's punt travels, whereas a net average is that number minus the yards they were returned.

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "NFL Draft Profile: Adam Korsak, Punter, Rutgers Scarlet Knights". Sports Illustrated. 28 November 2022. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Auerbach, Nick (11 September 2019). "The story of Rutgers, Iowa and the year's most underrated punting performance". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b Sargeant, Tom (5 January 2023). "The 'Aussie Assassin' who shattered records on his way to the NFL draft". Fox News. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Adam Korsak". Maribyrnong College. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  5. ^ Nalwasky, Chris (13 April 2022). "Punt God Adam Korsak set for one last year of college football". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  6. ^ Hoffman, Jim (12 July 2017). "Commit Alert: Australian Punter Adam Korsak Commits to Rutgers Football". OnTheBanks.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  7. ^ Deren, Bobby (26 February 2023). "Rutgers Postseason Top 40 Player Countdown: No.1 Adam Korsak". 247Sports.
  8. ^ Cavallo, Michael (28 January 2023). "Adam Korsak to represent Rutgers football at the NFL Combine". USA Today. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Adam Korsak". Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Adam Korsak College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Schmied, Jake (5 December 2019). "Rutgers captures Big Ten honors after conclusion of season". The Daily Targum. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  12. ^ Schnyderite, Richard (22 July 2020). "Rutgers Football P Adam Korsak named to Ray Guy Award watchlist". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Korsak Named to Associated Press All-Big Ten Second Team". Rutgers Scarlet Knights. 11 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  14. ^ Schnyderite, Richard (28 July 2021). "Rutgers Football punter Adam Korsak named to Ray Guy Award watchlist". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  15. ^ Easton Jr., Ed (2 March 2023). "Rutgers P Adam Korsak excited by former teammate Isiah Pacheco's NFL success". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d Patuto, Greg (9 December 2022). "Rutgers Football: Adam Korsak wins Ray Guy Award". OnTheBanks.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  17. ^ Kratch, James (13 December 2021). "Adam Korsak named Rutgers' 2021 team MVP; other award winners". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  18. ^ Lanni, Patrick (14 April 2022). "Leave Rutgers? Not yet. Scarlet Knights' biggest weapon decides to kick that can down the road". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Korsak Named First Team All-America by Sporting News". Rutgers Scarlet Knights. 13 December 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  20. ^ Dyer, Kristian (20 November 2022). "Watch: Adam Korsak sets the NCAA record for most punting yards in a career". USA Today. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Adam Korsak Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  22. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Adam Korsak College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  23. ^ Lanni, Patrick (23 February 2023). "USFL's New Jersey Generals draft ex-Rutgers star". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  24. ^ Postey, Drew (2 May 2023). "Riders select Australian punter and Italian lineman in 2023 Global Draft". CTV News Regina. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  25. ^ Cohen, Michael (2 May 2023). "Rutgers' Adam Korsak Invited to Chiefs and Steelers Camps". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Saskatchewan Roughriders sign Australian punter Adam Korsak". American Football International. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  27. ^ "2024 CFL Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
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