Unsuspecting Colorado Buffaloes Player Tearing Up Summer Workouts: 'He's An Animal'

Playing a position where speed and strength aren't exactly commonplace, punter Damon Greaves is tearing up the Colorado Buffaloes' grueling summer workout program.

As documented by Well Off Media, new strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey has been blown away by the Buffs' newest Australian punter. "Mate (Greaves) don't mess around. Mate is a man-child," Swasey said during a recent workout. "Mate is like Iron Man. He's a demon. He's an animal."

Those words aren't often connected to a 6-foot-1, 190-pound punter, but Greaves' athletic background makes him an outlier. Before coming to the United States, he played in the physically intense Australian Football League — somewhat similar to rugby. Greaves spent three seasons booting balls and tackling opponents for the Hawthorn Football Club before coming to the United States in 2023, signing with the Kansas Jayhawks at 23 years old.

Nov 11, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks punter Damon Greaves (95) punts against Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Drew Hocutt (82) during the first half at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

During his two seasons at Kansas, Greaves averaged 40.66 yards per punt, highlighted by a career-high 58-yard boot against the Illinois Fighting Illini last year. Six of his 33 punts last season also landed inside the 20-yard line.

Greaves entered the transfer portal in December and soon drew interest from Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who was looking to replace fellow Australian punter Mark Vassett, the original "Mate." Sanders landed a commitment from "New Mate" on Dec. 20.

"'New Mate,' our punter (Greaves), is booming them like 'Old Mate' was," Sanders said during spring ball. "The special teams should be truly special this season."

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🔥 Future Buffs Punt Returner. Mate 2.0 Shining. A Speed Demon

"Mate don't mess around. Mate is a man child. He is like ironman. He is a demon. He is animal like"

🔄 @damongreaves35
📽️ @DeionSandersJr https://t.co/CWFAB5kBeM pic.twitter.com/Pgl4LjFBAD
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) June 15, 2025

While navigating his first spring in Boulder, Greaves also earned high praise from Colorado special teams coordinator Michael Pollock.

"Watching his performance when he was at Kansas, knowing what kind of player he was there, the biggest thing about him is his ball placement," Pollock said in March. "In this league, you want to punt the ball between the numbers and the sideline. You don't want to punt it out there in the middle of the field. We saw some things happen badly last year when we miss-hit some and it went in the middle of the field.

"He does a great job of not only pinning people inside the 5 and 10-yard line, which is what a lot of people judge punters on, but he is able to put that ball between the sideline and numbers pretty consistently and get some great distance downfield with some hangtime, which makes it much tougher on them. We're just excited about his ball placement and his control over where he wants the ball and what we are asking him to do."

Greaves will get his first in-game opportunity to punt in the thin Boulder air when Colorado hosts the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 29. In what should be a close game, winning the field position battle with Greaves' big right leg will be important.