Archie Wilson's Emotional Journey Away From Family, Chasing Football

As preseason camp is moving into its third week for college football, most freshman across the country are dealing with being away from their families for the first time in their lives.

For Nebraska punter Archie Wilson, that distance is measured in more than miles. The Australian native's close familial bond pushes him to be the best, even in a place more than 9,000 miles away from home.

"That part's hard," Wilson began, before breaking down in tears at his first session with the media on Tuesday. "I love them a lot. I got two little brothers and a mom and dad. That's the tough part about being here. I love them a lot and I miss them. But they know this is what's best for me."

Wilson turns 19 on Wednesday. He is glad he can still talk to his family over the phone. They'll be in the United States later this month to see the first few games of the season.

"I'm looking forward to that," Wilson said.

So are Nebraska fans, who have heard nothing but rave reviews from the coaching staff. On Saturday, head coach Matt Rhule could not have given a bigger endorsement of a punter.

"That's my favorite period in practice right now," Rhule said. "I just could watch Archie punt all day. I've never seen anything like it; it's like watching a YouTube Short. The guy's amazing at what he does.

"I used to walk over to the O-line during punt period of kind of stand to the side. Now, I'm out there like with popcorn because it's really a fun thing to watch. I hope we don't put a lot, but when we do, it'll be fun."

Also speaking on Tuesday was special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler, who said Wilson is going to be "a damn weapon."

"I'm telling you, when you look up at the end of the year, with his body of work, you're going to go, 'Holy cow, this guy is the real deal'," Ekeler said.

But Wilson almost didn't end up in Lincoln. His relationship with Ekeler began while he was at his previous stop in Knoxville.

"Full disclosure, he was going to be our next guy at the last place I was at," Ekeler said, who coached at Tennessee from 2021-24. "I've known about him for quite awhile. Absolutely, positively everything about him was what we were looking for."

For Wilson's part, most of the negotiating on where he was going to college was done by the staff at Prokick, a legendary training facility that takes Australians and matches them with American football programs. Wilson said he believes Eckler was the only coach who had seen him kick.

"I think that Prokick knew that his coaching and his style was the right skillset for me and then they kind of worked it out a fair bit behind my back," Wilson said. "And then coach John Smith just came up to me one morning and was like, 'Hey, Archie, you're going to Nebraska.' I was like, 'Cool.'"

Nebraska punter Archie Wilson met with the Husker media for the first time on Tuesday. | Nebraska Athletics

One of the unique skills that Wilson possesses is the ability to kick with both feet, known as being ambipedal. While that is an advantage some in rugby try to develop and have as an advantage, it isn't overly common.

"Growing up, I always practiced it," Wilson said, who had an ankle injury a few years ago that allowed him to get creative. "I was like, I can run, I can jump, but I can't kick on my left foot for a couple weeks. So, I was like, okay, I can kick on my right. And then I already had a good base set up, and I was like, may as well use this chance to really develop it and make it something that's actually a standout, not just something I can get by with.

"And then at Prokick one day, a coach just randomly said to me, 'Hey, Archie, can you do a kick on your right foot?' And I was thinking, what's the point of that? I mean, as long as the ball goes far and high, does it matter?

"And then I kind of learned the ins and outs as to why it can be useful. And I nailed those two, the two that he asked to see, and that made a good impression. And then been practicing it ever since and using it in the system."

Wilson's first live football game will be at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City later this month. That will be his entry to American football, with 77,000 set to be there to watch the Huskers and Cincinnati Bearcats. The next week, he'll make his Memorial Stadium debut, where 90,000 will get to see him in the home opener against Akron.

You can watch Wilson's full media appearance below.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

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