Senior Day will take place on Saturday, and the student-athletes who will be leaving the Rutgers Football program will be honored with a pregame ceremony prior to kick-off between the Scarlet Knights at Penn State.
Punter Adam Korsak is one of them.
Korsak has been at Rutgers for five years and has been a fan favorite ever since he stepped on campus from Australia because of not only his talents but his personality as well.
“It’s been such a great experience for me,” Korsak said Wednesday. “Coming here at 19 years old and being 25 now, there’s been a lot of ups and downs. I’ve met a lot of great people. Fortunate to be with the boys in the locker room.”
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Korsak has seen other classmates have their final home game and go through the pregame ceremony, and now it is his turn.
“I’m excited,” Korsak said. “But I haven’t put too much thought into it being the last home game for me. We’re focused on Penn State and correcting things from Michigan State.”
Korsak has gone through a head coaching change from Chris Ash to Greg Schiano and has had to weather the storm of rough seasons during his time in Piscataway. As an older guy, Korsak has been a leader in keeping everybody together.
“Yeah, I’ve been a three-time captain,” Korsak said “Initially (the leadership from me) was just in my unit. Well actually I first had to always keep myself balanced and then it went to the unit and then the team. I’ve never tried to change my personality. I am who I am. It’s tough. You’re with the boys almost every day for the whole year. You have to try and be even-keeled.”
Korsak, who was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award in 2021, is 10 punts away from tying the career number of punts leader (337) and is 186 yards away from matching the NCAA all-time record of 14,546 yards punting.
“It just shows the consistency with how many games I’ve been fortunate to be able to play in. I think it’s going to be 57,” Korsak said. “That’s a lot of games. You have to be consistent.”
Korsak has been a main weapon for the team over the years, and coach Schiano had some nice things to say about the Aussie this week.
“Adam is different. I haven't seen a lot of him in my years of coaching. He’s a special guy,” Schiano said. “I have a lot of respect for him, not only for his abilities as a punter. I rely on him and ask him questions. Players have the answers. I gather their insights and he may be one of the most insightful players I’ve ever had. That guy is a winner. NFL teams should know that or others that want to hire him elsewhere should know that. He figures it out. I’ll miss him.”
“It’s awesome. Me and coach’s relationship is very strong,” Korsak added. “I feel like we communicate well. I trust him tremendously and that goes with the whole staff as well.”
Korsak isn’t sure what his future will hold in terms of the NFL or anything else saying “I take it one day at a time”. No matter what route he chooses, the Scarlet Knights will have humongous shoes to fill.
It is expected, however, that another Australia native, Flynn Appleby, will take over punting duties in 2023.
“Flynn’s just a great character and person,” Korsak said. “He’ll be a great player here. It’s step by step for him. I think it’s great for him to be here for a year and not have to punt right away at least in my opinion. The transition is huge.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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