Sophomore punter Lachlan Carrigan is the No. 16 USC Trojans’ third Aussie punter in program history. Although his role is small, Carrigan has delivered in times of need and has stepped up as a holder on field goals and PATs.
On the latest airing of Trojans Live, the punter opened up about his journey from Australian-rules football, transferring to USC and his goals for the rest of the season.
Lachlan Carrigan’s Journey From Australian Football to American Football
“I started in Melbourne, Australia, just playing Australian-rules football basically my whole life, from like the age of four. It's pretty big in my household and really all of Australia – it's the No. 1 sport.”
“I was trying to go professional in the [Australian Football League] back home. Had a few injuries and sorta lost the love for the game. When I was about 20 [years old], missed a few drafts, just decided that punting was going to be my next option. Probably from the age of 15-16, I always had going to America and playing college football in the back of my mind.”
“Spoke to my dad, he loves footy so it was a hard conversation. He was pretty sad to see me let it go, but obviously it's going pretty well right now. Just joined the Prokick Australia program back home, went to Memphis last year and then transferred here.”
Transferring to Southern Cal
“Firstly, being in L.A. is awesome. One flight away from home – 15 hours. But it's better than having a few connecting flights.”
“Then, of course, Coach [Lincoln Riley], Coach [Mike Ekeler], Coach [Ryan Dougherty]. Just speaking to Coach Ekeler, and him telling me that he wants me and he trusts me. I was like yeah, there’s really no better position I can probably go into other than USC.”
Prokick Australia
Prokick Australia was established in 2007 and has been a prestigious program where kickers and punters excel in their skills to compete in the AFL, Canadian Football League (CFL), American college football and the NFL. The coaching staff is made up of former players who had experience in the NFL, AFL, CFL and semi-pro soccer.
“It varies. Some people are in the program for maybe three or four years. Some people might be in it for six months a year. I was in it for two years. Yeah, it was great, I loved it,” Carrigan said about his experience at Prokick.
Season Performance
Through seven games, Carrigan has punted the ball a total of 12 times for 598 yards, averaging 49.83 yards per punt. While the offense is firing on all cylinders, Carrigan is missing out on national awards since he is below the average of 3.6 punts per game.
“I’m just trying to do my job really,” Carrigan said about the matter. “Just put the defense in a good position and help the team win. I’m not too worried about qualifying for the big awards. I’m just trying to win.”
Carrigan is currently averaging 1.7 punts per game, making his one moment a game very crucial for the Trojans.
“Yeah, it's a little leg swings and kicking the ball into the net on the sideline. But with holding now, I feel like I’m always dialed in on the game. So like I’m always ready – if you need a holder, if you need a punt – just staying with the game, just loving it,” Carrigan said about how holding has kept him active in the game.
"Definitely playoffs. Want to have a deep run it that. But me personally, just help the team win, pin them deep, kick them long and far," Carrigan said about his goals for the remainder of the season.
Practicing Different Punts
“I feel like doing the one-step get-off, or the quick get-offs, it's just catch and kick. Just hit it as far and as high as you can. Which is something that you sort of do in Australian-rules football. So it's not too foreign, but it is definitely a challenge adjusting to the ball and snap,” Carrigan said about punting on the run.
“There’s like ones that Coach Ekeler trusts me with, and there’s ones that I want to do. In total there’s like 10, maybe. Maybe a little bit less. But the ones that I’m comfortable with, it’ll be around five, six for sure … It just depends where we’re out on the field. I try to do all the different variations each day just to work on my craft,” Carrigan said about the different punts he can do.
“Now I have [Zachary Nandlal], another Aussie punter. So I’m just kicking the ball with him like I’m kicking with my brothers or my best mates back home, so it's been great.”
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