You sure have heard of the name Mark Vassett before, the guy from Buff’s Media Day. But do you know how he reached a stage where he was worthy of representing Colorado with the two big names Deion Sanders and his sons on Big 12 media days at Allegiant Stadiumon? Well, he holds great experience, and with that comes a lot of knowledge and respect for the game and vice versa. Vassett has received All-ACC honorable mention honors, well that is a good start on a voyage to know all about him.

Now imagine an Australian guy who, like many other Australian punters, joined the Prokick Australia program that specializes in transforming Australian football players into American Football punters. And what it seems like is that the program did a great job in Vassett’s case! Let us know more about this 27-year-old guy, how he grew, what his future looks like and many more as there is a lot more to this guy than we can see.

Mark Vessett’s early days

Mark Vessett started his college football career with the Cardinals at the University of Louisville, where he played as a punter. During his time with the Cardinals, he made a significant impact with his accurate and full-power punts, which are still talked about. As a freshman in the 2021 season looking at him, no one could tell that it was his freshman year. He punted 67 times for 2,964 yards, averaging 44.2 yards per punt, which is just mindblowing! With this Mark was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, which honors the nation’s top collegiate punter. Moving on in his next season that was 2022, he continued to outshine his performance with 64 punts for 2,835, averaging 44.3 yards per punt and not to forget that 21 punts of those 64 were inside the 20-yard line, which is a crazy figure as average punt distance for college football punters is typically between 40 and 45 yards, which is not so in the case of Vessett.

He’s got one year of eligibility left as Vassett transferred to the University of Colorado in 2023 to play for the Buffaloes. Vassett now heads into the season as one of the top punters in the Big 12 after a solid first season with the Buffaloes in 2023. With 65 total punts for 2,915 yards, averaging 44.8 yards, which is to date his highest average mark. We can presume that with Deion’s guidance, he is going to break his record this coming season. As he is greatly influenced by Deion’s training techniques, even Vessett’s decision to transfer to the University of Colorado in 2023 to play with the Buffaloes was influenced by the opportunity to work with the new coaching staff led by Deion Sanders. A great example of talent recognizing talent.

Vessett is here to stay

Coming from Louisville to Colorado last season, Vassett had a clear idea of the kind of exploration that he was going to get into here and hence the commitment. There is a lot to explore in Boulder, which will lead him to the next level. One such incident occurred during the Big 12 football media days on the 10th of July where cameras surrounded him, but he confidently embraced them, showing the much-needed spirit.

Right now no one is standing in a better position than Vassett himself, he has become a fan favorite of Coach Prime who calls Vassett a ”mate” with utmost affection. During an interview at the Buff’s Media Day this Wednesday, Coach Prime referred to Vassett as ”a pro”. Giving us an idea of how well they are bonding and how great things are going in Colorado. Vassett is all up to rule and set new records in the 2024 season. These high expectations are centered around his continued excellence as a punter and his potential to set new records, particularly to maintain a high average of yards per punt.

Let us just get ready already, as the excitement fever is high.