As part of a running gag involving his kicking specialists, University of Texas head coach Tom Herman has said he won't call Australian punter Michael Dickson by his name in media interviews until he graduates.
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"The Punter" won't have to wait that long to hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Dickson heads toward next week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis hoping to continue building momentum from a stellar junior season. Dickson not only won the 2017 Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter with a 48.4-yard gross average. He also accomplished something that virtually every player at his position can only dream about — winning MVP honors in a bowl game.
Dickson only played 11 snaps in the Longhorns’ victory over Missouri in the Texas Bowl. But the Aussie made every one of them count.
Ten of Dickson’s 11 kicks were downed inside the Tigers' 20-yard line — including four inside the Mizzou 5 — without any going for touchbacks. Missouri’s offense wasn't good enough to overcome such lousy field position in a 33-16 loss.
For his efforts, Dickson received a Texas-sized memento.
"It was like a big 40-pound trophy that I have sitting in my room now," a laughing Dickson told co-host Gil Brandt and me last month while being honored by the Walter Camp Foundation at Yale University.
Michael Dickson (Getty Images)
Although he played coy with the media about his future football plans during bowl prep, Dickson admits he had decided to turn pro following the Longhorns’ regular-season finale against Texas Tech.
"I really sat down and thought about it for a bit, talked to family, friends and a couple of mentors, and got their opinion on everything,” Dickson said. “It’s not really common for a specialist to do it, but everything just felt right.
"I knew that going into the bowl game that it would be my last game (at Texas). Just playing with that passion and being so grateful to be able to wear the jersey one last time made winning the MVP (award) feel like, 'You did the right thing.'"
The same can be said of his decision to pursue a different athletic endeavor after 10 years of playing Australian Rules Football while growing up in Sydney. That version of "Footy" is closer to rugby and soccer in nature than the American style of football it predates.
"I always had a bigger kick in that sport," said Dickson, who trained at an elite level in high school while with the Sydney Swans Academy. "People used to joke around saying, 'Oh, you should do American football.'"
Although unfamiliar with the game, Dickson took the feedback seriously. He moved almost 500 miles away to begin tutelage at Prokick Australia in Melbourne with Nathan Chapman, a former Aussie Rules player who spent time as a punter in training camps with Green Bay and Chicago.
After learning some of the different techniques that come with punting, Dickson began sending video of his workouts to Division I colleges hoping to land a scholarship offer. The Longhorns, who were being coached by Charlie Strong at the time, took the plunge after watching Dickson on YouTube and then sealed the deal following an on-campus visit.
Dickson did not excel immediately, however. His gross average as a freshman was a ho-hum 41.3 yards. He also committed a huge error when he allowed a snap to slip through his hands against Oklahoma State, giving the Cowboys ideal positioning for what proved the game-winning field goal.
Dickson’s awkwardness in throwing the football away upon recovery further reflected how much he still had to learn.
The knowledge came quickly.
Michael Dickson (Getty Images)
As a sophomore in 2016, Dickson was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year after averaging a school-record 47.4 yards on his 65 attempts. He also became the Longhorns’ first finalist for the Ray Guy Award before winning the honor after an even better junior campaign.
The 6-3, 205-pound Dickson and the University of Florida’s Johnny Townsend are generally considered the top punting prospects in this year’s draft, with both likely getting chosen between Rounds 4 and 7.
"I feel like I’m ready to take on the NFL," the 20-year-old Dickson said.
Dickson, though, isn't quite ready to completely shut the door on his college days. He remains a full-time student so he can keep his visa and will have 1 1/2 more semesters remaining post-draft before earning his undergraduate degree in finance.
"That was one of my goals I set when I came to Texas," he said.
Until then, Dickson knows the word "Michael" won’t be on Herman’s lips.
"He still hasn't called me by name yet," Dickson said with a smile. “It’s just a bit of a joke that he has."
Dickson will have the last laugh if his NFL career unfolds like he hopes.
