PISCATAWAY, N.J. –
Adam Korsak arrived at Rutgers in 2018 unsure of what to expect coming from Australia. But five years later, Korsak has evolved from a wide-eyed newcomer to a fifth-year senior and the best punter in school history.
So what kept Korsak coming back to the Banks all these years?
"The people of New Jersey in general have been so great to me," Korsak said. "At Rutgers, being able to continue studying at a great university is awesome, and most importantly, to be on this team and in the locker room with these guys."
In his first season in 2018, Korsak saw action right away. That season was highlighted by a school-record 79-yard punt versus Northwestern. He also had punts of 64 and 63 yards in the last two games of the season against Penn State and Michigan State.
Korsak was named All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2018, but that was only the beginning for his legacy.
When head coach
Greg Schiano was hired ahead of 2020, there was an increased emphasis on special teams, allowing Korsak's game to become a more featured element of the Scarlet Knights.
After netting 42.27 yards per punt with zero touchbacks in 2020, Korsak was named Second Team All-Big Ten for the second-straight season. He took his game to another level in 2021, setting the NCAA record for net punting with 45.25 yards per punt and once again not having a single touchback. He earned Second Team All-America honors from multiple outlets.
"Coach Schiano puts such an emphasis on the punt that we have starters on the unit," Korsak said. "We have guys that are playing in the NFL now that have been on our unit. The amount of relationships that you build at a great university and football team like this is top notch, especially with the culture that Coach Schiano has built. I'm just very honored to have met the people that I have."
When Rutgers takes on Iowa this Saturday, Korsak will go head-to-head with Tory Taylor, a familiar face who is also among the best punters in the country.
"Tory is a good friend of mine," Korsak said. "We've been punting together for a couple of years now. I'm excited to play him and he's obviously a tremendous talent."
Korsak and Taylor are both out of Melbourne, Australia, and trained at ProKick Australia – an organization that sends countless punters to college football, especially to the Big Ten, where seven of the conference's 14 starting punters have trained there.
While he was once a novelty in the college game as an Australian, Korsak is now an elder statesman in the college football punting fraternity and is a success story that has helped pave the way for countless Division I punter.
"ProKick Australia with Nathan Chapman and John Smith has put so many guys through the FBS and the FCS," he said. "Fortunately, the Big Ten has got a lot of not only great punters, but great guys off the field. It's very enjoyable to play against them in most of the in-conference games."
