Punter Thompson a Perfect Fit at Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Following last season, senior punter and Melbourne, Australia, native Riley Thompson made the decision to transfer to Penn State after a stint at Florida Atlantic. Thompson connected with former Nittany Lion punter Daniel Pasquariello and they’ve developed a special bond so many other Australian punters share. 
 
Thompson is 10,000 miles away from home in Happy Valley and has utilized the Australian punter pipeline to find success. Thompson is a product of the prominent Prokick Australia program that orchestrates the pipeline of talented punters from Australia to America. 
 
“Having that connection and being able to bounce ideas, whether that’s stuff you’re struggling with or good things that happened and having people level you out, it’s awesome,” Thompson said. “I text so many different guys it’s crazy…It just happens all the time. It’s really awesome to have that connection because you can send a message to any Australian partner and I’m sure that they’re going to reach out and have something good to say.” 
 
Thompson went to high school at Haileybury where he developed a close bond with Iowa’s Tory Taylor. The two were able to share the field for the first time in the White Out since their Australian Rules Football days. 
 
Thompson is a part of a large group text composed of Australian punters who have made the transition to college football. The 23-year-old has formed strong connections with other punters like Tennessee’s Jackson Ross, Georgia’s Brett Thorson, Indiana State’s Harry Traum, Rutgers’ Flynn Appleby and UCF’s Mitch McCarthy. 
 
According to Prokick Australia, 61 of 133 FBS teams have an Australian punter as seven of the last Ray Guy Award winners have come from Down Under. It’s been a smooth transition for Thompson who’s utilized skills from Australia where kicking reins king. 
 
“I’ve been kicking a ball since I was four,” Thompson said. “Coming over to kick, it’s not really a huge transition, but…