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Texas

The 26-year old transfer that might just be the answer to Texas' special teams problem.

by: Evan Vieth09/05/25
Jack Bouwmeester
Jack Bouwmeester (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Last season, the Texas Longhorns struggled in pretty much every metric imaginable on special teams.

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They didn’t return the ball well, they committed far too many penalties, and kicking on both the punt and field goal units was some of the worst in the nation. It was an unexpected fall from grace for a Jeff Banks-led unit, one of the most well-respected special teams coaches in all of college football.

While Bert Auburn’s field goal misses headlined the woes of this group, the punting game was an under-the-radar problem that plagued Texas throughout the year. Texas’ average punt distance was just barely outside of the bottom 30 in the nation. Of the 50 P4 punters with more than 40 attempts, PFF graded Texas’ Michael Kern as one of the four worst. He was one of three punters to not pin a team inside the 20 more than 10 times, and he never booted a kick more than 60 yards.

Kern has since moved on to Cal, as Texas looked elsewhere for a solution. The Longhorns took to the portal, finding Utah transfer Jack Bouwmeester waiting for an opportunity at the highest level.

“I wanted to work with Coach Banks. He’s good at developing guys, sending them to the next level,” Bouwmeester said. “And I just love the culture here. I think they have a heavy emphasis on special teams. They love their specialists, make everyone feel welcome.”

Bouwmeester was given the rare chance on Monday to speak to the press at a media availability, something you don’t see given to specialists on the roster. Those spots are usually reserved for stars, but after his performance in Ohio Stadium, you can put him into that tier of player for Texas.

Bouwmeester’s four punts averaged 4.3 seconds of hang time on 46.3 yards per attempt, pinning the Ohio State Buckeyes inside their own 20 all three times without a single chance of a return.

His most impressive punt came midway through the second quarter, pinning OSU at their own 2, leading Texas to end up receiving the ball back at their own 47. At times, it felt like Bouwmeester was Texas’s best offensive player, despite being a punter.

“I thought I did what I was required. I try to look at it as what punt does Texas need in this situation, rather than looking at it from a selfish standpoint,” Bouwmeester said. “So I think just trying to flip the field and give the defense the best chance to score points is, yeah, that’s what I aim for.”

The Bendigo, Australia, native is a rarity in the college football world, at least in 2025. While the majority of the 24+ aged players have gone by the wayside, Bouwmeester is easily the oldest player on the team, already 26 years old.

“They let me know about that. Coach (Johnny) Nansen calls me Kangaroo. Tate Haver, the backup snapper, calls me Unc,” Bouwmeester said.

Bouwmeester has thrived in his short time at Texas and is already proving to be worth every penny a transfer punter costs in this current day and age. His cultural fit, proven ability on the field, and calm, humble presence make him the exact Longhorn head coach Steve Sarkisian needed for a title push in 2025.

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