Saints: With his book on the brink of release, let’s relive Thomas Morstead’s career
By Sean Nief
Early Years
Living in Pearland, Texas throughout his adolescence, Morstead played for Pearland High School’s football squad.
Despite receiving varsity letters for soccer and football, Morstead proved to be a standout when it came to football above all else. During his senior year, Morstead was named to the All-District team and earned the honor of Special Teams MVP for Brazoria County.
Despite receiving offers from major schools such as Texas and Missouri, Morstead decided to head to Dallas to attend SMU.
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While he was redshirted his freshman year, he eventually took over the punting and kicking roles in 2006 and received some further recognition with All-Conference USA third-team honors. With an average of 43.82 yards per punt, Morstead finished the season with the 15th highest average in the country for punting.
As Morstead’s college career progressed, he began to slowly rise through the rankings of the best punters and kickers in the country. His average yards per punt during his sophomore season jumped to 44.65 yards, landing him at the 8th spot on the list. During this particular season, Morstead also set a then single-season record of 43 PATs with perfect accuracy.
While Morstead never reached the top of the rankings for the highest-average punt yards or had a breath-taking performance as a field goal kicker, Morstead consistently contributed to the team.
With Morstead handling punting responsibilities, the SMU Mustangs consistently finished in the top 10 of the league in terms of yard net averages for punts. Morstead had a beautiful punting form that allowed the ball to cover significant yards with exceptional hangtime to limit any return.
The statistics and accolades of a punter are not as exceptional or flashy as those of other positions who can win the Heisman and other awards, but the numbers and consistency speak for themselves.