LSU Gold

#18 Avery Atkins Season 2024

Position
Placekicker/Punter
Height
6'0
Weight
218
Class
Graduate Student
Hometown
Auburn, Ala.
High School
Auburn HS

2021 LSU Graduate (Kinesiology)
2021 Campbell Trophy Semifinalist (National Football Foundation)
2021 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2020 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2019 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2018 SEC Academic Honor Roll

CAREER
LSU’s career record holder in every kickoff category … LSU career record holder for number of kickoffs (334), kickoff yardage (21,140), kickoff average (63.2), and touchbacks (281) … LSU single-season record holder for number of kickoffs (131 in 2019), kickoff yardage (8,218 in 2019), and touchbacks (110 in 2019) … Perhaps one of the most consistent kickoff specialist in college football history … Served as LSU’s kickoff specialist for four years … Served as LSU’s punter and holder for all placekicks as a senior in 2021 … Appeared in 51 games during his career … Extremely talented kicker that has been nearly automatic when it comes to kicking the ball through the endzone on kickoffs … Has tremendous leg strength with outstanding technique and pinpoint accuracy … Wore No. 18 in 2021 after donning the No. 32 jersey his first three years as a Tiger … Was awarded No. 18 the week of LSU’s season-opener against UCLA … The No. 18 is worn by a player that best represents the LSU football program on and off the field and is a tradition that was started when quarterback Matt Mauck led the Tigers to the 2003 national title …The No. 18 jersey has been passed down each year to a player or players who best represent the values established by the long tradition of LSU football … Capped his career with 84.1 percent (281-of-334) of his kickoffs going for touchbacks … On 334 kickoffs, only 2 went out of bounds … Punted for first time in career as a senior in 2021, averaging 42.6 yards on 62 punt … Four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll … Graduated in May of 2021 with a degree in kinesiology … Plans to attend medical school.

SENIOR SEASON (2021)
Appeared in 13 games serving as LSU’s kickoff specialist, punter and holder for all placekicks … In first season as LSU’s punter, averaged 42.6 yards on 62 punts …Averaged 53.3 yards on three punts at Kentucky … Had three punts downed inside the 20-yard line against Auburn … Longest punt of season (54 yards) came in win over Florida … Had 64 kickoffs with 54 going for touchbacks … Averaged career-best 64.8 yards on 64 kickoffs … Biggest non-kicking moment came against Alabama when he completed a 26-yard pass to Jack Mashburn on a fake point in the first quarter … The play resulted in a first down and extended the LSU drive that eventually resulted in a touchdown and a 7-0 Tiger lead … Had a crushing tackle on kickoff coverage against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl.

JUNIOR SEASON (2020)
Played in 10 games with 60 kickoffs … 46 of his 60 kickoffs went for touchbacks … Ranked No. 8 in the nation in touchbacks (46) … Tied career-high with 11 kickoffs in win over Ole Miss … Had eight touchbacks on nine kickoffs in win over South Carolina … Six of his seven kickoffs went for touchbacks in win over Florida … As a unit, LSU only allowed 10 kickoff returns all year, a number that ranked No. 15 nationally.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2019)
Played in 15 games with 131 kickoffs … 110 of his 131 kickoffs went for touchbacks … Led the nation in total kickoffs (131), touchbacks (110), and finished No. 3 nationally in touchback percentage (83.97) … Set career-highs with 11 touchbacks and 715 kickoff yards in win over Vanderbilt … Matched career-high of total kickoffs with 11 at Ole Miss and Northwestern State … As a unit, LSU allowed only 15 kickoff returns in 2019, which ranked No. 12 nationally … LSU’s total kickoff return yardage allowed (337) ranked No. 18 in the nation … Longest kickoff return LSU allowed was 33 yards.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2018)
Played in all 13 games for the Tigers as true freshman … Handled every kickoff for LSU, with 71 of his 79 kicks going for touchbacks … Allowed only six kick returns all season for 126 yards … Longest return of year against LSU kickoff unit was 36 yards … Set school record for touchbacks (71) … LSU led the nation in fewest kickoff return yards allowed (126), ranked No. 3 in kickoff returns allowed (6) and were No. 5 in touchbacks (71) … Had nine kickoffs against both Georgia and UCF … Set a career-best with eight touchbacks in win over Georgia … Went the entire season without kicking a ball out of bounds.

HIGH SCHOOL
One of the top kickers in the nation, listed as a four-star prospect according to Kohl’s Kicking Professional Camps … Earned three letters in football as a safety, kicker and punter at Auburn High School in Auburn, Ala. … Named team captain as a senior in 2017 … Regarded as a member of the 2017 Alabama Sports Writers Association 7A All-State Team as an athlete … Garnered All-State honors in 2016 for his play at safety … Was named an All-Region Safety and was the X-Factor Athlete per Opelika-Auburn News in 2016 … A two-time Auburn Villager Newspaper Athlete of the Week, earning the honor once in 2015 and in 2017 … Led his teams to a 10-2 record during his senior campaign and an 8-4 record as a junior … Coached by Adam Winegarden … Also was a five-time letterman in soccer where he was a center forward coached by Bill Ferguson … Led Auburn to the 2018 7A Alabama State Soccer Championship … Earned Varsity Soccer MVP in the 2016 and 2018 seasons … Was named the Clutch Player of the Year in the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.

PERSONAL
Full name is Jack Avery Atkins … Goes by Avery … Born on June 11, 1999 in Birmingham, Alabama … Parents are Jack and Nikki Atkins … Has one sister Taylor … Chose to attend LSU over offers from Ivy League Schools, including Harvard and Yale … Credits the people at LSU, including Ed Orgeron, Greg McMahon and Sam Nader along with the fans as some of the main reasons he was influenced to attend LSU … Engaged to his high school sweetheart.

Avery Atkins’ Career Highs
Kickoffs: 11, 4x (Last: vs. Ole Miss, 2020)
Kickoff Yards: 715 at Vanderbilt, 2019
Touchbacks: 11 at Vanderbilt, 2019
Punts: 8 vs. Texas A&M, 2021
Punt Yards: 306 vs. Texas A&M, 2021
Punt Average: 53.3 at Kentucky, 2021
Long Punt: 56 vs. Florida, 2021
Inside 20: 4 at UCLA, 2021
50+ Punts: 3 vs. Auburn, 2021

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