The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the college football world upside down. It did, however, also help Michael Turk. The ASU punter who declared for the NFL draft after his sophomore year, signed with an agent, but was not picked up in the draft or as a free agent, was according to a team source granted an unheard NCAA waiver to return to the Sun Devils and has two years of eligibility remaining starting in this 2020 season.
In more good news, Florida State graduate-transfer punter Logan Tyler who last month committed to Arizona State has decided to keep his pledge after hearing of the Michael Turk news.
Turk was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection in 2019, his first year at ASU after transferring from Lafayette College. He established a school record averaging 46 yards-per-punt. 23 of his 67 punts traveled over 50 yards, while he had only seven touchbacks. Furthermore, 36 of his 67 punts landed inside the 20-yard line.
Turk was impressive at the NFL combine recording 25 225-lbs. bench reps, but reportedly didn’t have a good showing in the punting drills of that event. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented him and nearly all players in the NFL draft from having a Pro Day event as well as other in-person evaluation opportunities by NFL teams at their facilities. Subsequently, Turk wasn’t drafted and unsigned as a free agent. Various teams cited the lack of in-person evaluations post-combine being available, as the reason they didn’t take a chance in signing him.
Following this series of events, Turk approached ASU and expressed his desire to return to the team. The school’s compliance department drafted a waiver request, the first of its kind in all probability, to request that a player who declared for the draft and signed with an agent, could return to school due to the events that have been dictated by COVID-19.
Against all odds, the NCAA approved that waiver and paving the way for Turk’s return to the Sun Devils.
Tyler will enroll at ASU in the summer, will be competing with Turk for the punting duties. Nonetheless, the reason Tyler was an attractive addition to Arizona State was not only due to his punting abilities but the fact that he is perceived to be an upgrade on kickoffs and a serious candidate to be the field goal kicker on longer distances.
Tyler's name is prominent in Florida State's special teams' records, ranking first with 82 single-season punts, second in overall punt yards with 8,879, third with 209 career punts and fourth in average punt yards with a mark of 42.5. In 2018 he topped the ACC in punting.
As a freshman in 2016, Tyler was no. 1 in the ACC in kickoffs averaging 64.1 yards, which was also good for no. 9 nationally that year. Ironically, in his first two years at Florida State, his kickoffs achieved an average starting field position for opponents on the 23-yard line.
In 2019 Tyler played in just the first game of that campaign before he was suspended for two contests due to a DUI violation. Later that year, he decided to enter the transfer portal.
As mentioned, Tyler, who has one year of eligibility as a graduate transfer, is immediately eligible and expected to handle ASU's kickoffs and possibly longer field goal kicking as well. Only 30 of ASU's 57 2019 kickoffs went for touchbacks and the Sun Devils were just 5-8 in field goals from 40 yards or longer.
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