Australian punter Max Fletcher commits to Arkansas
Australian punter Max Fletcher has committed to play for Arkansas on a full scholarship.
Fletcher started out playing Australian rules football before converting to punting. He has been working out with the elite punting organization Prokick Australia.
Prokick Australia has sent over 185 players to play Divison I football, including current Seattle Seahawk and 2017 Ray Guy winner Michael Dickson.
The current punter for the Razorbacks is redshirt junior Reid Bauer. He has booted 33 punts totaling 1368 yards for an average of 41.5 yards per punt.
Max Fletcher is the brother of Cincinnati punter Mason Fletcher
Max Fletcher comes from a sports family. His father, Dustin Fletcher, played 23 years of Australian rules football in the Australian Football League. He played all 23 seasons for Essendon Football Club in Melbourne and represented Australia at international rules football competitions.
Dustin Fletcher is one of the best defenders in AFL history and one of five players to have played in 400 games in the competition.
Dustin’s father, Ken Fletcher, was also an Australian rules football for Essendon. He was a captain for the team in the late 1970s and played 264 games for Essendon, which is the 11th most in team history.
Max Fletcher’s older brother Mason Fletcher was regarded as a potential top prospect in the AFL but elected to pursue a career in punting due to back injures sustained while playing Aussie rules.
It proved to be a good choice. About a year after switching football codes, Mason Fletcher signed his letter of intent to play at Cincinnati.
The 6-foot-7 punter has thrived in his freshman season for the undefeated Bearcats. He ranks in the top 50 nationally with an average of 43.29 yards per punt. He has placed eight punts inside the 20 and booted three punts of over 50 yards.
In a fun coincidence, Cincinnati opens the 2022 season at Arkansas.