USF football lands another Australian punter

By all indications, USF has found its punter of the future at the same renowned Australian academy that produced its current one.

Andrew Stokes, a 26-year-old Perth resident, announced Tuesday morning via Twitter he has accepted a scholarship offer from the Bulls. Cut from the same physical mold as former brawny Bulls punter Jonathan Hernandez, Stokes (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) will enroll at USF in January.

He shapes up as the heir apparent to 30-year-old Bulls senior Trent Schneider, entering his third and final season at USF this fall. Schneider’s 44.4-yard career average (145 attempts) currently ranks first in program history among those with at least 60 attempts.

Stokes has spent the past seven years playing Australian rules football in his native country. He has been training full-time at Melbourne’s Prokick Australia, which has produced five of the past six Ray Guy Award winners.