It's Not Easy for Jordan Stout to Follow Sam Koch With Ravens
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It's never easy replacing a potential Hall-of-Famer.
But that's the challenge for new Ravens punter Jordan Stout.
Baltimore selected Stout from Penn State in the fourth round of this year's NFL draft.
One month later: Sam Koch retired after 16 seasons.
Stout is determined to create his own legacy for the Ravens.
"Let me put it this way: Every punter is a little bit different, so when I do watch punters, the thing I look at the most is their demeanor and the way they go about things," he said. "I don’t necessarily look at their technique, because I think my technique is different from A.J. Cole’s, Sam [Koch’s], as well as everyone else in the league, and I feel like I have to figure that out on my own.”
Stout ranks second at Penn State with five field goals of 50 or more yards (52 vs. Michigan 2021; 50 vs. Indiana, 2021; 50 vs. Ohio State, 2020; 57 vs. Pitt, 2019; 53 vs. Idaho, 2019).
He earned second-team All-America honors from the AFCA, CBS Sports/247Sports, USA Today and The Athletic. Stour was named a third-team All-American by the AP and Phil Steele.. He accepted an invitation to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl and was named a Reese's Senior Bowl All-American.
Stout has also honed his holding skills this offseason — an area where Koch also excelled.
"I pride myself with my holding," Stout said. "I held in 2020; I was the long field goal guy that year. Ever since I started punting and kicking from Day One, my sophomore year of high school, I’ve been holding. I’ve gotten really good at it. I think that’s probably one of the best parts of my game, if not the best.”
Jordan Stout will replace the legendary Sam Koch.
Koch, who was selected by Baltimore in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, appeared in a franchise-record 256 regular-season games – 239 of which came consecutively from 2006 to 2020 (also a team record).
A member of Baltimore’s 2012 Super Bowl XLVII Championship team, Koch also played in 20 postseason contests for a total of 276 career games in a Ravens uniform.
Considered one of the NFL’s most innovative punters – and one of the greatest holders of all time – Koch was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl, also earning second-team All-Pro honors that year.
Koch was also a Pro Bowl alternate on three occasions (2010, 2014 and 2019).
Koch, the ultimate team player, plans to remain with the team as a punting consultant to help Stout get acclimated to the NFL.
"I’m just excited to work with Jordan," Koch said. "We are going to try to make him the next best punter of the Ravens and do everything we can to make him the best punter in the league. So, I look forward to this opportunity. We’ve spoken. We’ve talked. We’ve already worked on some punting and holding aspects of his game."
