TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona Football fans don’t want to see him on the field as much this year.
But when Kyle Ostendorp does have to come on to punt, he’s one of the best in the country to do it.
After a recent training camp practice, Ostendorp spoke to reporters as a large beetle landed on his leg. He shuddered and brushed it off.
“I’m scared of bugs!” He said with a laugh. “I’m terrified of bugs, sorry!”
It doesn’t look like Ostendorp is afraid of anything on the field.
He averaged nearly 50 yards per punt last season, the third best figure in the nation and best in the Pac-12.
That earned him All-Pac-12 First Team honors in 2021 and a Preseason Second Team All-American nod this year.
“He does a great job of getting the ball on the sweet spot and being able to carry the ball down the field,” said Ostendorp’s special teams coach Jordan Paopao, who believes Ostendorp can get even better.
“Growing his knowledge of protections and when his operation needs to speed up in terms of rush looks,” Paopao explained. “And when he can hold it to help our gunners get down the field. So really kind of growing his football knowledge, his positional knowledge, situational knowledge, you know I think that’s where you kinda see the next step.”
Ostendorp isn’t afraid of growing his knowledge, either.
He was valedictorian of all graduating University of Arizona athletes this spring.
With a 4.0 GPA, he earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering in just three years.
Football may not be rocket science for him, but his coursework literally is.
“A lot of the stuff I work with is fluid mechanics, so it’s like how the air flow goes over the ball, or like a wing, or air flows, something like that,” Ostendorp said. “So you can kinda see sometimes [those concepts] if I don’t hit a great punt, if it falls down too fast or too slow, kinda like that. But I really don’t go in there and put a ball in a wind tunnel and test it, or anything like that.”
Between football and now working on a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, Ostendorp continues to test his time management.
“It’s definitely very hard waking up at 6 in the morning, and then going to bed at 10 every night. And then everything in between, I’m just booked,” he said. “Last year I actually had to miss practice a couple of times because I had class or presentations.
“But really just being consistent and focusing on my discipline, which [coach] Jedd Fisch has instilled in us quite a bit has helped me a lot. Because I know that my life outside of football will be benefited from the work I put in these 3, 4, 5 years.”
And when it comes to football, Ostendorp says he and his teammates aren’t afraid of putting in work and getting better on the field.
“We didn’t win so many games last year,” he said. “And that’s what I’m really looking forward to this year, is winning more games.”
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
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