National Football League

2022 NFL Draft: How 'Punt God' Matt Araiza prepares to be a pro

Updated Jun. 9, 2022 4:34 p.m. ET

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFL Writer

SAN DIEGO — A trail of clouds spreads across the early morning sunrise as Matt Araiza launches footballs into the sky on the pristine football field at Maranatha Christian High School.

You hear the thud of the ball hitting Araiza’s foot from the nearby parking lot as you approach the field — the ball just sounds a little different coming off his left foot.

Then you see Araiza moon-rocket the ball up close, sending it on a trajectory and distance seldom witnessed.

Araiza’s punts helped the San Diego State product earn the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s top college punter, as he set NCAA records for punting average (51.2 per punt), punts over 50 yards (39) and punts over 60 yards (18) during the 2021 season.

Araiza booted two 80-plus-yard punts last year and posted a career-high 53-yard field goal.

The long boots got the attention of former NFL punter and podcast king Pat McAfee.

"He is a Sunday guy, for sure," McAfee said. "He’s a f---ing weapon."

Those accomplishments also earned Araiza a nickname: "Punt God."

"I don’t remember the first time I heard it," Araiza said last month at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "There were a lot of nicknames being thrown around. SDSU Twitter is a very funny place — a lot of comedians on there."

Former NFL offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger serves as the football analyst for the Aztecs' television broadcasts and was one of the first to use Araiza’s now-popular nickname.

"I’ve never seen anybody at any position so consistently produce great results," Ohrnberger said. "I just remember saying at one point, ‘This is just otherworldly. What we are watching is god-like. He is the Punt God.’ And it just sort of stuck.

"I never thought I would be excited for the punt squad to come onto the field. Typically, you look at punting as a failure of the offense to produce optimal results. But when you have a weapon like Matt Araiza, you look at it as an opportunity to flip field position and set up the offense."

Araiza could be the first punter selected on Day 2 of the draft since Bryan Anger was picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round in 2012. Only 23 punters have been selected in the draft, most notably Guy in the first round by the Oakland Raiders in 1973.

But Araiza is considered the top punter in a strong draft class that includes Georgia's Jake Camarda and Penn State’s Jordan Stout.

"This is a well-above draft class for specialists, and Araiza is the guy I expect to come off [the board] the earliest," FOX Sports NFL draft analyst Rob Rang said. "There’s a possibility he can go Day 2 just because he’s a pretty unique talent, and I think he’s worthy of that. But at the same time, this draft class is pretty loaded at some difficult positions to find — edge rusher, offensive tackles and corners. I think the draft class around him probably pushes him to the early or mid-portion of Day 3.

"The leg strength jumps out at you, and the fact that he’s been as consistent as he has been over his college career. You go through the record books, and his name is everywhere. This is not a guy that played at a high elevation, so you can throw out those factors. And the length of his punts are not extended by big, long bounces. A lot of times, it’s up in the air going 65 yards."

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Araiza combines a strong leg with athleticism. At the combine, he ran the 40 in 4.68 seconds and posted a 10-foot broad jump. He also finished with six combined tackles on special teams last season, so he's not afraid of contact.

Nick Novak, who kicked for five teams in a 10-year NFL career and now runs a training business for kickers, has worked with Araiza for the past three months leading up to the draft.

"He’s a football player," Novak said of Araiza. "Specialists sometimes get the rap that they are not athletes, or they do the bare minimum. That is not the case with Matt. He loves the weight room.

"He’s a great athlete, and I think that allowed him to pick up what we were trying to do pretty quickly. He was an exceptional college punter, best in the country last year. And the punts that he was doing at times will be a great option in the NFL."

Novak and Araiza are focused on tailoring the punter’s unique skill set for the NFL and everything he will be asked to do. That includes better hang time on punts and nailing coffin corner kicks. Novak said the two have worked on shortening Araiza's punting space to around four yards and speeding up his overall operation time to reduce the possibility of punt blocks.

"Every rep matters," Novak said. "We’re not wasting time. We’re treating it as if you’re kicking and punting in front of NFL personnel, in front of your teammates. He’s already had that mindset in college, and it’s taken him this far. And it will help him with the transition being a pro."

Araiza has also worked on his kickoffs, consistently putting the ball 6-to-8 yards into the end zone during workouts, and on holding. He did not hold in college, as he was also San Diego State's placekicker.

Because he's left-footed, Araiza puts a different spin on the ball that returners don’t see very often. He throws right-handed and can execute fake punts and field goals like Carolina Panthers punter Johnny Hekker.

That all adds value, but Araiza's main calling card is his booming punts.

"Field position is everything," Novak said. "It’s the difference between winning and losing. To have a punter that can crank a ball 80 yards or 65 yards situationally, wherever you are, you’re flipping the field.

"And his bag is bigger. It’s not just two punts, an Aussie or the driver. Now, I can hit that five-plus hang time, 50- to 55-yard ball. He has a bunch of clubs in the bag, and I think he’s really prepared for whatever comes his way."

Novak has connected Araiza with another strong-legged punter in Shane Lechler, who spent 18 years in the NFL. Araiza also works with San Diego-based trainer Cody Smith and All-Pro punter Jake Bailey, a San Diego native who was selected by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2019 draft out of Stanford.

Bailey and Araiza have become friends — with an edge.

"They are competing every day," Novak said. "[Bailey is] teaching him a lot of things, and it’s that type of training that I believe has accelerated his growth over the last three months."

Araiza says he wants to make punting cool again, bringing attention back to the position with his distance.

"I hope it becomes a down that everyone loves to watch," he said. "Because the truth of the matter is it’s a period where maybe people will check their phone or go get popcorn."

Araiza wants his punts to be must-see TV. But first, he needs to earn an NFL job.

"He knows that wherever he’s drafted or wherever he’s taken, there’s going to be competition," Novak said. "That is the nature of the business and one of the great things about the business.

"And he’s ready for that and for the challenges ahead."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @eric_d_williams.