An Australian-born punter who learned the game at ProKick Australia, Brett Thorson won the Ray Guy Award at Georgia before signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent.
Brett Thorson left a dairy farm in Melbourne, Australia, to chase American football through the ProKick Australia pipeline, and he turned that unconventional path into a four-year starting job at Georgia. He capped his college career by winning the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter in 2025, then went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with the Minnesota Vikings, where he will compete for the punting job.
Path to the league
Thorson had no football background before enrolling at ProKick Australia, the academy that has funneled numerous Australian punters into major college programs. He earned a scholarship to Georgia and became the Bulldogs' starting punter as a true freshman in 2022, holding the job for four seasons.
Career highlights
Thorson finished his Georgia career with 156 punts for 7,115 yards, a 45.6-yard average, and was part of Georgia's 2023-season national championship team. He earned first-team All-American honors and back-to-back second-team All-SEC selections in 2024 and 2025, and was a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2024 before winning it outright as a senior.
2025 season recap
As a senior in 2025, Thorson punted 46 times for 2,094 yards, a 45.5-yard average, capping his comeback from a season-ending injury he suffered in the 2024 SEC Championship Game. The strong finish earned him the Ray Guy Award and first-team All-American recognition, and he signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Brett Thorson
- ESPN: Brett Thorson player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Punter
- Group
- specialTeam
- College
- Georgia
- Hometown
- Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
Team
