Steve Sarkisian 'Very Impressed' With New Texas Punter

The Texas Longhorns have an "extremely talented" freshman punter this season.

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian congratulates Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. (78) after a score in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell-USA TODAY Sports | Ricardo B. Brazziell-USA TODAY Sports

AUSTIN -- If Steve Sarkisian could have it his way, the Texas Longhorns wouldn't be punting a single time during the 2024 season.

But when fourth down hits and the reality sets in, the Texas special teams will have to rely on freshman punter Michael Kern, who Sarkisian said has been "operating at a high level" while speaking to the media Monday.

"He'll be on the field. Well, hopefully he's not on the field," Sarkisian said with a laugh. "But Michael Kern, I've been very impressed. I think early on, he had a little bit of the freshman jitters. I thought that coach (Jeff) Banks did a great job with him. He's a guy that I think is operating at a high level for us right now."

Nov 4, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates after a victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in overtime at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell-USA TODAY Sports | Ricardo B. Brazziell-USA TODAY Sports

Sarkisian admitted that these "freshman jitters" could set in again in the front of 100,000+ at DKR on Saturday against Colorado State, but Kern's talent appears likely to outweigh any game-day nerves.

"Naturally, Saturday is going to be a little different," Sarkisian said. "You know, when the first time he trots out there and there's that buzz in the crowd, and there's that many people. But he's an extremely talented guy. He's very confident. He's got good demeanor about himself, so we're very comfortable with him taking the field and punting the ball for us."

Kern officially signed with the Longhorns on Dec. 20, 2023 after playing his high school ball at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

He received college offers from teams like Army, Eastern Kentucky, and Texas while making multiple unofficial visits to Power 5 schools like Duke, Boston College and Kentucky. That's quite a unique list, but he's now set to play a major part of Texas' special teams this season, a unit that's set a high standard under Banks and Sarkisian.

No. 4 Texas and Colorado State will kick off from Austin on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.