Missouri Lands Australian Punter Via Transfer Portal
Missouri has found its punter for the 2023 season. And he comes from the land down under.
Towson punter Riley Williams officially committed to the Tigers Wednesday afternoon. He will have three years of eligibility remaining with the program following his lone season with the Tigers from the FCS level.
A native of Victoria, Australia, Williams ranked fourth nationally with 44.7 yards per punt and earned second-team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors in 2022. In 12 games, he netted two punts of 60-plus yards, 16 punts of 50-plus yards, and placed 13 of his 46 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Williams played Australian Rules football and cricket during his high school days at Australian Catholic University. He was also an accomplished swimmer, and was the first-ever Australian native to play football at Towson University.
Mizzou must replace the production of both punters from the 2022 season after finishing 6-7. Sean Koetting exhausted his final year of eligibility while walk-on Jack Stonehouse elected to transfer to Syracuse prior to the Tigers' 27-17 loss to Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Last season, the Tigers ranked ninth in the SEC in punting average at 41.6 yards per attempt. Koetting averaged 39.7 yards per punt, with his longest of 57 yards coming against Kansas State in Week 2.
Williams is now the fifth Division I player to commit to the Tigers as part of their 2023 transfer class, joining wide receiver Theo Wease (Oklahoma), offensive tackle Marcellus Johnson (Eastern Michigan), defensive back Tre'Vez Johnson (Florida), and defensive lineman Austin Firestone (Northwestern).
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