He wore a mop of brown hair, a red No. 83 Nebraska jersey and a grin. Archie Wilson looks like a guy enjoying the American football experience.
Chatting with the Huskers Radio Network on Monday in his first public interview since arriving on campus last month, the freshman NU punter spoke with a clear Australian accent about his transition to a place that’s a 22-hour flight and 15 time zones from his home.
So far, so fun.
“It’s great to train, great to be a part of it,” Wilson said. “It’s just great to finally get over here.”
Wilson — brought in by new Nebraska special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler to handle a rugby-style kicking operation — will participate in his first American football fall camp next month as the Huskers ramp up for the Aug. 28 season opener. He plans to be himself, someone who can roll out to either direction and kick with either foot.
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He developed a “pretty big kick” growing up playing Aussie-style football, he said. His father suggested he try to do something with it and that led him to Prokick Australia, the program that produced former Iowa punter Tory Taylor and many others who found success in the United States. He learned the technique and the craft to go with his already considerable ability.
Ekeler was his point of contact with Nebraska. The 53-year-old won him over quickly in the recruiting process as a “father figure” who wanted the best for his players. Their first phone call was a FaceTime session while the coach was driving.
“Within 10 seconds he was telling me how he’s almost going into a wreck,” Wilson said. “It felt like I’d known him for five years and it was great.”
Ekeler’s culture is already rubbing off. Wilson said the rugby approach will hopefully make Nebraska special teams better than last year, when it allowed 234 punt-return yards (123rd nationally).
Then Wilson corrected himself. “Hopefully” isn’t a word that’s part of the group vocabulary. It should make special teams better, he said.
“WTH — wishing, trying, hoping,” Wilson said. “Don’t say them.”
The punter may be young and learning new rules but he knows why his style should help. In the NFL only two players can release downfield for a kick whereas in college anyone can do so. That means punts don’t need to be in the air as long if he’s able to keep the ball for a couple extra beats before booting it away.
“It’s almost artificial hang time in the way that we hold onto the ball with a longer operation time,” Wilson said. “It allows us to get down the field more, kick for more distance and we can have a bigger net because our gunners are down there already.”
If Wilson has a grasp of the game, he’s still learning his new surroundings. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in the program except Ekeler before arriving in June and now he’s getting to know his fellow specialists and teammates. He’s figuring out the new facility — “I wouldn’t have thought that an ice bath could be as much fun as it is,” he said.
His expressions have drawn interest from other Huskers, he said. Long snapper Aidan Flege has picked up on Wilson’s tendency to say “I reckon” in regular conversation.
“He says that to me five times a day, I reckon,” Wilson said before pausing. “I’ve just said it there! That proves my point and it’s quite funny.”
Wilson and Kamdyn Koch — the son of former Husker punter Sam Koch — will compete for the punter job this fall. One or both will replace three-year starter Brian Buschini, who averaged 43.1 yards per punt over 37 games.
Nebraska made room for Wilson in the spring by moving on from the transfer punter it signed last winter, Washington’s Jack McCallister, before Ekeler arrived. McCallister later landed at Purdue.
“Coach Ekeler has done a wonderful job and he strongly, strongly, strongly believes in utilizing the college rules, which are different than the NFL rules in which guys can get down the field,” NU coach Matt Rhule said in April after McCallister announced his transfer. “So, we will be more of a rugby punt team.”
Wilson smiled at the idea of being hit during a game. Ideally it won’t happen, he said, but he’ll bounce up if it does. He grew up playing Aussie style with frequent tackling and no pads.
He’s here to kick and “have a bit of fun” this year, he said. No worries for a different kind of physical competition starting with fall camp.
“I’m quite excited to see what it’s like,” Wilson said. “I hear it’s pads and real football, which I’ve been yearning for for a while. I just want to put my best foot forward.”
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