The Big 12's all-time punting standard-setter who bounced back from a Bengals cut to become one of the Jets' most reliable specialists.
Austin McNamara built his name at Texas Tech as one of the best punters in program and conference history, but his path to the NFL wasn't smooth. After going undrafted, getting cut by Cincinnati and grinding through a tryout process, he found a home with the Jets and turned it into a breakout 2025 campaign.
Path to the league
McNamara went undrafted following the 2024 NFL Draft and was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals before being released during training camp that August. He landed with the New York Jets in March 2025 to compete for the punting job.
Career highlights
Over five seasons at Texas Tech, McNamara averaged 45.91 yards per punt, the highest mark in both school and Big 12 history, and became the first Red Raider to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors three times. He was named the Big 12's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023 and played in the 2024 Senior Bowl.
2025 season recap
McNamara won the Jets' punting job and delivered, averaging 46.7 yards per punt with a long of 72 yards. He led all undrafted punters in the league in PFF grade at 90.3 and paced the position in average hang time at 4.70 seconds, establishing himself as a legitimate weapon in New York's field-position game.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Austin McNamara
- ESPN: Austin McNamara
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Punting
17 games played▶Punting · career
| Year | Team | GP | PUNTS | YDS | AVG | LNG | IN20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | jets | 17 | 71 | 3,317 | 46.7 | 72 | 32 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Punter
- Group
- specialTeam
- College
- Texas Tech
- Hometown
- Gilbert, AZ, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
