4/13/2022 football Edit

Punt God Adam Korsak set for one last year of college football

Chris Nalwasky • TheKnightReport

Beat Writer

Adam Korsak looks around the Rutgers football team’s locker room half the time and doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. His teammates will be having conversations and using certain slang or words that are considered “cool”. They’ll also be dancing around and doing other things college student-athletes do to have a good time.

GET TKR PREMIUM FREE FOR 30 DAYS — CLICK HERE FOR MORE

The nation’s premier punter, Korsak is entering his fifth year of college football with the Scarlet Knights after he prepped at Maribyrnong College and studied at Victoria University in Australia before that.

“I can’t even tell you. It all stems from TikTok or something. They all do these dances,” Korsak said. “They probably laugh at me and think I’m an idiot, but I just stand there. I try to jump in when I can.

“I have gray hair. I’ve been here for five years now. The young guys keep you on our toes. I do feel old sometimes though. They say certain words and do dances and I have no idea what they are doing. As long as the players like me and the coaches want me back, I wanted to come back.”

Rutgers P Adam Korsak shaking hands with head coach Greg Schiano (Richard Schnyderite -- The Knight Report)

Korsak made the decision to return to Rutgers for an extra year after he was approved for an additional year of eligibility last November. Now he’s taking part in his final spring practice in Piscataway.

“It’s like overstaying your welcome,” Korsak quipped. “No, it’s been great. I’m excited to be back. We’ve had a great spring so far. I’m looking forward to year No. 5 and what’s going to come with it.

"There’s a lot of new coaches and players. The energy is great. You can sense that energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. I think we have a younger team. Like I said, we’ve had a great spring so far and looking to keep that rolling.”

Korsak was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award last season which is given to the country’s punter. He broke the school record for the fourth-straight year and set an NCAA record with a net punt of 45.25 yards. He was named First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and was named the winner of the Homer Hazel Award and MVP for Special Teams by the team.

Korsak didn’t record a single touchback last season and his ongoing streak stands at 124 punts in a row without one since 2019. He punted 72 times with 38 downed inside the 20-yard line including 16 being downed at the 10-yard line or closer and eight at the 5-yard line or close. Four stopped at the 1-yard line.

Opponents were held to 41 total return yards with a return of less than four yards 69 times. He averaged 45.82 yards-per-punt, a Scarlet Knights record as well, topping the best of 44.4. He booted 19 punts at least 50 yards with 11 traveling 55 yards or more including three over 60.

In the past Korsak and long snapper Billy Taylor headed the punting operation. Taylor is now gone and in his place is his younger brother, Zack Taylor.

“It’s been good to get Billy out of here. I love Zack, and Billy’s doing great things,” Korsak said. “He’s trying out for a bunch of teams and he’s going to have a great career. I’m excited for his next step. Zack has stepped right in. He was here as an early enrollee in 2021, so he’s been here and has performed at a high level. It’s hard to replace that experience, but Zack’s done a great job so far and I’m excited to see how he progresses after spring and into the summer and into the fall.”

Korsak and Billy Taylor built a lot of chemistry over the years, and the transition has been smooth with Zack.

“Me and Zack were training together when he was 16 when I first got here,” Korsak told TKR. “Billy brought him here. I’m used to Zack. The transition has been seamless.”

Comparing the two snappers, Korsak said they are similar on the field, but a bit different off the field.

“They’re both very humble guys. They’re talented long snappers, athletes, and people off the field. You love being around those guys,” Korsak said. “The way he snaps, he’s very talented. They have their quirks about him. They have different personalities a little bit, but in terms of what they do, it’s very similar.”

Back in December, times got a little crazy to say the least for Korsak. He thought his season was over -- and it was -- until he got on a plane to finally go back home to Sydney, Australia. Rutgers was announced as the replacement for Texas A&M for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Wake Forest.

He did a mandatory quarantine, took two COVID tests that were negative, and spent four nights in Australia before he made his way back to the States and right to Jacksonville for the bowl game on New Year’s Eve.

After the game, he made his way back to his home country for a handful of weeks before returning to Rutgers for classes.

“I was like I don’t want to go back to New Jersey in January, so straight from Jacksonville I went back to Australia,” Korsak said. “I was there until I had to come back for school. It was a bit of a crazy few days there, but the bowl game was a great experience. Going home for about three weeks was awesome.”.

His parents didn’t quite understand it all -- the flying back and forth and the bowl game -- but was glad he was doing what he wanted.

“Anything I want to do, they’re happy. They didn’t understand the bowl game situation or football in general. So, I got home for Christmas and told them I was going to have to go back. They were like what do you mean, and I just said trust me, I’ll be back. I told them how to watch it and they were very supportive. They’re great. It was strange though.”

Korsak is currently working on a third Master’s Degree. He already earned ones in Communication and Labor.

His teammates are glad he is completing coursework for a third, which means he’s still with the team. And one for one more year, the Scarlet Knights have their best weapon back.

“I’m really close with him off the field,” wide receiver Christian Dremel said. “He’s a great guy to have around. He’s very laid back and chill, but when he’s on the field, he’s a professional in everything he does. He’s a really good golfer, and he’s like a golfer with the way he plays. He’s a great guy to have on the team.”

Check out the video above of Korsak's first interview with TKR when he joined Rutgers Football.