LINCOLN, Neb. — When he stepped in front of a horde of media Tuesday, Archie Wilson had already won over everyone of importance inside the Nebraska football complex.
Matt Rhule likely has not talked about a true freshman with such reverence in 10 seasons as a college head coach. Wilson punts with both feet. He can run. He can throw. He can sing, as Rhule detailed in explaining that Wilson “crushed” a rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” in front of the entire team during camp this month.
Wilson has never actually played in a football game. The 19-year-old Australian has spent all of two months at Nebraska, but he knows the name of every teammate.
“It’s a multifaceted thing,” Rhule said last week. “He’s one of the coolest dudes around. He’s got so much juice … He’s just, like, the most interesting man in the world.”
The public met Wilson on Tuesday. He’s a charming lad with a big smile, a quick wit and, apparently, nerves of steel. As Wilson prepares to take the reins at punter for the Huskers’ season opener against Cincinnati on Aug. 28 in Kansas City, he’s unfazed.
“Huge crowd, Arrowhead, Thursday night, it doesn’t get much bigger,” Wilson said. “I’m excited to get out there. I mean, ideally, I don’t have to punt much. But if they do need me on the field, I’m really excited to go out there and kick some.”
Wilson told the media he was turning 19 on Wednesday. Then, asked about the half-a-world separation from his family, he melted into a pile of tears.
WHOLESOME 🥹@HuskerFootball’s punter Archie Wilson became emotional when asked about being away from his family in Australia ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Jtk3RsCF5p
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 12, 2025
Millions watched the clip, which was even featured on the “Today” show on Wednesday. In 30 seconds, Wilson morphed from a feel-good camp storyline about a freshman who has turned heads at Nebraska — one or two exist every August — into the illustration of innocence sacrificed at the altar of major American sports.
To be sure, Wilson wanted this.
“They know this is what’s best for me,” he said of his mother, father and two younger brothers, who live outside of Melbourne on Port Phillip Bay, near the southern tip of Australia.
Wilson trained and played Australian Rules football at Haileyburg, the prep school that produced Chicago Bears punter Tory Taylor, a former Ray Guy Award winner at Iowa and the FBS record-holder for punting average in a career.
Wilson followed in the footsteps of dozens of punters who went from Prokick Australia, a punting and kicking academy, to the FBS ranks. A sampling of the Aussies at the top of their field today includes Taylor, Cameron Johnston of the Pittsburgh Steelers (formerly Ohio State) and Michael Dickson of the Seattle Seahawks (formerly Texas).
Special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler gets credit for bringing Wilson to Lincoln this summer from Prokick. Before Ekeler left Tennessee in February, he identified Wilson as the punting replacement for the Vols’ two-year starter Jackson Ross, a junior this season in Knoxville.
“Absolutely, positively, everything about (Wilson) was what I was looking for,” Ekeler said.
This spring, when Ekeler sold Rhule on the idea to shift Nebraska’s punting scheme to a rugby style, the Huskers parted ways with Washington transfer Jack McCallister. Not long after, John Smith, head coach at Prokick in Melbourne, approached Wilson one morning and told him, according to the punter, “Hey Archie, you’re going to Nebraska.”
“I was like, ‘Cool,’” Wilson said.
Wilson deepened his studies on college football. He learned about Lincoln and about Memorial Stadium and the Huskers’ football history.
When Wilson and his parents arrived here in late May for a visit to confirm his enrollment, Brett Maher picked them up at the airport. Maher joined Rhule’s staff as a special teams assistant last year after his five seasons in the NFL. He was a two-time Big Ten kicker of the year for the Huskers and the Big Ten punter of the year in 2012.
Maher eased the transition for Wilson. Nebraska put him through drills in June training activities. This week in camp, Wilson faced a live rush for the first time.
“All he knows is punting,” Nebraska wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. said. “So I love him.”
Wilson punts naturally with his left foot. When he sustained a minor injury a few years ago, he tried his right foot in the Australian game. It worked. He could punt traditionally or roll out in either direction this season. The spin that he can put on a kick mesmerizes Rhule.
“I could watch Archie punt all day,” Rhule said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like watching a YouTube short. The guy’s amazing at what he does.”
Ekeler predicts that Wilson will serve as a “weapon” for Nebraska this season.
“Every punt he hits isn’t going to be a 55-, 60-yarder,” Ekeler said. “He’ll mis-hit one. And when he does, I’ll take it. But I’m telling you, when you look up at the end of the year at the body of work, you’re going to go, ‘Holy cow, this guy’s the real deal.’”
Inefficiency on special teams contributed to five close losses and nearly cost the Huskers in three of their seven victories last season.
Wilson said he’s ready to play a big role but that he doesn’t model his style after any of the Australian punters who blazed a trail for him.
“I see a lot of other people doing similar things,” he said, “but I wanted to create my own path and do it for myself.”
As for the heart-wrenching family dynamic, it’s the only part of this experience for which Wilson could not prepare.
His vulnerability showed a human side that probably won over thousands of new fans. Nebraska fans predictably jumped to support Wilson.
Welcome to the Husker family, Archie ❤️ pic.twitter.com/DxzdfHKh7d
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) August 12, 2025
Full disclosure, I asked the question about Wilson’s family, never expecting such an emotional reply. When his smile faded and Wilson’s head dropped, my curiosity turned to immediate regret. In two days, I’ll drop my oldest child at college for the start of a journey much closer to home than his. But I understand the pain.
Five minutes after Wilson left the podium Tuesday, the juice was back. He smiled through more interviews. Wilson’s parents, by the way, will see him soon. They’re scheduled to attend the opener in two weeks and stay for three September games in Lincoln.
Front-row seats await to see if the Legend of Archie continues to grow.
(Photo: Mitch Sherman / The Athletic)
