CORAL GABLES – With Miami’s special teams unit, all of the excitement lies with one person in particular.

But excitement isn’t everything because production is the one thing that really matters.

At this time, Miami redshirt freshman Louis Hedley is arguably the team’s most exciting player – by a lot. The 6-4, 215-pound punter is a native from Australia with a bunch of noticeable tattoos on both of his arms.

When people hear of his name, look at him punt the ball, or even hear him speak, Hedley gains a level of natural adulation that most other individuals could only dream of.

And he hasn’t even punted a ball yet in a real game for the Hurricanes.

This is important because Miami fans demand a consistently high level of production from the players – or else. That’s pressure in itself, something that Hedley and the other specialists are expected to
handle with relative ease.

“These [specialists] are put under a lot of pressure,” Miami special teams coordinator Jonathan Patke said. “It’s good to get a warm welcome, especially a guy coming from so far away, and make it feel like home for him and be comfortable a little bit. It was exciting for him, I think. That wears off quickly. We hope they cheer like that in a game.”

The buzz for Hedley doesn’t come unwarranted. He played an inspiring season two years ago at City College of San Francisco before deciding to redshirt in 2018.

Hedley will now have three seasons of college football eligibility to play for head coach Manny Diaz and The New Miami, affectionately know as ‘TNM.’

“It’s been amazing,” Hedley said of his time so far in Miami. “I got here in Summer A and I’ve been working with Coach Feeley. The whole ‘The New Miami’ thing has been incredible. The work ethic here is unbelievable. I am super excited to get started and get the season underway.”

Hedley, who signed his letter of intent with Miami in February, is currently in a competition for the starting punter job with incumbent and redshirt senior Jack Spicer. The redshirt sophomore may be the favorite to win the job, but there are no guarantees.

“Summer workouts have been hard,” Hedley said. “We are squatting and running. We’ve been doing a lot of running, but it’s mentally making me a better football player. It’s all for the good.”

Spicer, who hails from Estero (Fla.), took the time to speak about Hedley and what he brings to the Hurricanes special teams unit.

“I love him,” Spicer told media members in last night’s interview session after practice.

“I understand him. At first, I didn’t. There were some times where he would definitely get annoyed with me, and I would be like, ‘What?’ He would have to say it over again. Especially in the hot tub, and it’s echoing, and he has that bass to his voice, and it’s like, ‘What did you say?’ He’s a great guy. Definitely a blessing to have him here and push me. Like I said, the competition is just great.” 

Spicer, who is in his final training camp, spoke about the punting competition at hand.

“This definitely has been the most fun I’ve had out of the 12 years I’ve been here, by far,” Spicer said in laughter. “I’m just enjoying every minute of it. The competition between all of us is pushing each other…We’re seeing things we haven’t seen from each other. It’s making us all better.”

Patke added his thoughts on the punting completion, while also speaking on the entire special teams unit.

“Through the spring, through the summer, and now through camp, these guys have grown closer together,” Patke said.

“They’re all super competitive. They’re really good athletes. They compete in everything they do. When it comes to kicking, snapping, punting, they always want to compete for each other, and that’s what we’re trying to build in this program – everything is a competition, within yourself and with your teammate. It always brings out the best out of you.”

Bubba Baxa returns as the starting kicker for Miami. The sophomore from Pasadena (Tx.) will look to do even better this year than what he did in his freshman season (9-of-12 field goals made; 45-of-46 extra points made).

“For me, it’s about having more consistency and obviously getting more accurate,” the 6-0, 195-pound kicker said. “To be good and go to the league, if you’re good enough for long enough then someone will find you.”

Baxa spoke on how he handles pressure situations in games.

“The crowd, honestly, I kind of zoned it out, Baxa said. “I think the first time I heard the crowd was probably on my first kick. Besides that, I didn’t really hear the crowd. It’s more of the mental side for me. I’ve just got to stay relaxed and do my job. I’m here for a reason.”

And last but definitely not least, redshirt freshman long snapper Clay James is probably the glue that keeps the special teams unit together. He spoke on the relationships he has built with both Hedley and Spicer.

“He’s got me beat,” James said of Hedley. “He’s covered. I’m trying to catch up. I got to finish some little areas here, but I’m working on it. I’m working on it.”

James and Spicer are college roommates. With extra time together, their bond is relatively strong.

“Jack is the man,” James said. “He’s a great roommate. We hang out a lot outside of football. It’s really fun to be with him. We hang out so much football-wise, so getting him to hang out with him outside of it is a cool thing.”

Here’s hoping that all four special teams standouts have a highly productive and memorable season at Miami in 2019.