With the impending graduation of Steven Coutts, Cal needed a punter, and they turned the same way many programs have turned in recent years, to Australia. The Bears have had their share of Aussie punters, in Coutts and David Lonie, and even played a game in Sydney in 2016. Now, they have another in Jamieson Sheahan, one of the latest to come out of the ProKick Australia program.
Sheahan came to the Bears on an official visit during the USC game and committed right before the early signing day.
Jamieson Sheahan
Hometown: Bendigo, Australia
Height: 6'
Weight: 200 lbs
Class: Junior
Rivals Ranking: A two-star (5.4) kicker, ranked as such due to not having an in-person evaluation.
Prior to Cal
Sheahan is the only player in Cal's 2020 class to come in as a junior in eligibility, and that's thanks to having experience playing in the Victorian Football League, the level below the AFL in Australia. Sheahan also worked in operations at the AFL front office. Sheahan was named the top first-year player on his Essendon squad in the VFL in 2018.
Justin Wilcox told the story of how Sheahan came to them on early signing day back in December:
"Down there, the kids grow up, they play Australian Rules Football, and so he, from a young age, learned how to punt, kick a ball. It's a little bit different ball, but similar in some ways. He'd done that his whole life. He went off and nearly had a chance to make it as a professional Australian rules football player, he didn't quite make it. He was actually working in the league, the AFL, and starting working with this group (ProKick), that really trains guys to punt.
We got a chance to watch some of his video, he is a very talented guy. When they learn how to kick at a young age, they use both feet and they're passing the ball with their feet to people on the move, so it's a little bit different skillset from kids growing up here. You don't really do that (in the US), you play football, you play basketball, and even when you play football, most kids from the age of four don't train to be a punter. They just have a different background.
One of the unique things is that he's never punted in a football game before, but the ability he has is evident, and we've seen enough on video to know that he's gonna do a great job for us. The other thing is that he's been a huge fan. He knows everything about our team and every other team. He came out here on a visit, he's from Melbourne so that's a 15 hour flight, and he knew everybody on our team, everything that's happening in college football, he's just a junkie when it comes to all that stuff. It'll be great to have him here and we're looking forward to having him punt in his first football game."
They Said It
What To Expect
As Wilcox said, Sheahan hasn't punted in an American Football game before, something he'll have to do throughout the spring as he'll likely battle with Dario Longhetto for the punter spot.
Wilcox did note that Sheahan has the ability to kick off either foot, something the Bears can get creative with moving forward, with directional punts and even fakes, depending on what looks they get.
It will all depend on how Sheahan fares this spring, as the Bears will look to improve their special teams units in 2020.
