Arizona's Chase Ridley Excelling Despite Totally New Game
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The Arizona Wildcats special teams unit has undergone almost a complete makeover following the 2025 season, as they are introducing a new punter, kicker, and long snapper to a group that ranked 13th in the Big 12 in special teams.
Freshman Chase Ridley is slated to take over the punting duties in place of Isaac Lovison, who was a senior last season. It is Ridley's first time putting on a helmet and shoulder pads, but he has already gotten a grasp of what American football is all about.
The 6-foot-3, 238-pound Perth, Australia native has a huge frame for a punter and has already grabbed the attention of Arizona's special teams coordinator, Craig Naivar, and impressed him through four weeks of spring training camp. Naivar found Ridley through ProKick Australia, a developmental program that helps players improve their punting and kicking skills and find colleges that need them.
"Chase has attacked some milestones in his short career that's been pretty impressive," Naivar said. "He's 22 years old, but he's a freshman. He's never worn a helmet, never worn shoulder pads, never been around anybody... This is the first time he's going to punt in front of a full group, full cover the whole nine yards, and he ends up smoking the ball. He has met the milestones of adapting to American football, playing with the group, all that stuff like that a lot faster than some have."
Ridley's Transition From Australian to American Football
Although this is Ridley's first time putting on a helmet and shoulder pads, he is still familiar with American football, at least to some extent. Ridley played Australian rules football since he was a boy.
"[I] ended up joining ProKick Australia," Ridley said. "I was there for about 11 months training under Nathan Chapman. Punted well for a fair bit and then got some film and ended up talking to some coaches and one thing led to another, and I'm here."
Ridley's father, Paul, played Australian rules football as well and was, in his words, "A freak athlete." Once Ridley got to ProKick, he learned several new skills that transferred to American football, from traditional punting to pace holding. To Ridley, it wasn't easy, but he was able to sharpen his craft and become an elite punter.
"I thought I'd go in there [and] be a piece of cake, but you learn pretty quick that it's a completely different sport," Ridley said. "It's a completely different lifestyle and the way you kick it. Everything about it is just, it is kicking at the end of the day, but there's a lot of technical aspects to it. So trying to learn the technique, the steps, the mold of the ball, especially the hang time and distance, it's a big thing."
Ridley Learning Mechanics of Kicking and Punting
There are many differences between Australian football and American football, from the way the ball is kicked to how the game is played. Ridley has gotten the mechanics of punting and holding, but is now getting a grasp of just how important special teams can be.
"That can win a game and everything from the snap to the hold to the kick, everything's got to be precise," Ridley said. "Everything's got to be perfect. It's definitely something I had to learn and adjust to, but we're getting there."
Now that Ridley is at Arizona, he has gotten a feel for the brotherhood that football brings and the Redline lifestyle that the Wildcats live by.
"Just even seeing how some of the boys go about their day," Ridley said. "How their work ethic, recovery, everything. It's on and off the field is what I've realized. It's also a brotherhood. It's a really good culture here. The boys get around everyone. When someone's down, someone will pick you up. It's definitely something that I'm getting used to and adjusting with and I'm loving it so far."
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.