Miami’s popular, tattooed Aussie punter drawing stares for artful body, booming kicks
As punters go, a man like Louis Hedley is fairly extraordinary at the University of Miami.
The first thing that draws your eyes: tattoos from his thick neck down.
The next: ferocious punts that seem to tower like King Kong above a skyscraper — then slowly drop to earth.
The first thing that perks up your ears: that really cool Australian accent — at least if you’re from South Florida.
Hedley, at 26 up to nine years older than the youngest Miami Hurricanes football player, is a redshirt sophomore from Mandurah, Australia, on the southwest coast about 45 miles south of Perth. A former Australian Rules Football player who boomed field-clearing kicks near his team’s end line on defense, Hedley, at 6-4 and 230 pounds of muscle, looks as if he could knock some sense into an opponent’s return man.
“Hopefully I don’t have to make a tackle,” Hedley, the father of a 17-month-old son named Loki, said late Friday night in his first interview with the Miami media — months after becoming an Internet sensation upon signing to play with the Hurricanes. “That’s the plan.”
Hedley was a scaffolder in Australia and even owned a tattoo shop in Bali, Indonesia, “pretty much in the jungle,’’ he previously told The Athletic. “So I was always in the tattoo shop getting tattoos. I’m not really sure how many I have.’’
He said he’ll likely squeeze in some Hurricanes art in due time. “I’ll just have to play a snap first,’’ he said.
Friendly and frank and somewhat mesmerizing with that accent, Hedley is stopped, or at least stared at, probably everywhere he goes. “Yeah, Occasionally I get people coming up to me — they recognize my tattoos. I don’t think they recognize my face. They see my face and just put 1 and 2 together. They scream out, ‘We love the U.’ It’s cool.”
He should get plenty more attention if he punts as well as is hoped this season. The Hurricanes were sorely lacking in that department last season, ranking almost dead last at 117th in the nation in FBS net punting, with a 34.4-yard average.
Redshirting last season, Hedley played at the College of San Francisco in 2017, where he averaged 38.6 yards and had eight punts downed inside the 20-yard line. He also ran three times on fake punts, including once for 56 yards. He said he learned the American rules by playing a popular video game.
“My first game at junior college was the first game I’d ever seen in my life,’’ said Hedley, who told reporters he plans to play three seasons at UM. “I think a few days before that game I played Madden and I learned the rules.”
He is completely taken with the city of Miami.
“Yeah, Miami is pretty unique,’’ Hedley said. “Before here I was living in San Francisco for two years. That itself is sort of a strange city in its own little bubble. Miami is sort of different itself, but I love it here. I love the heat and the people, and the fans are amazing.”
Hedley’s teammates include roommate Cam’Ron Harris, a rising sophomore star at running back; and fifth-year senior Jack Spicer, who doubles as a UM holder and is competing against Hedley for the punting job. Last season, Spicer would come in and punt line drives that bounced down the field. Previous starter Zach Feagles left the team before the final game in the Pinstripe Bowl.
“I love him. I understand him,’’ Spicer said of Hedley. “At first, I didn’t. There were some times where he would definitely get annoyed with me and I’d be like, ‘What?’ and he would have to say it over again...He’s a great guy, definitely a blessing to have him here and push me.’’
The Hurricanes aren’t immune from asking Hedley the questions he also got in San Francisco.
“They ask a lot of questions about if kangaroos run through the street and if you have them as pets,’’ the Aussie said, grinning. “It’s all the same sort of questions. It’s pretty funny.”
During a couple of Miami’s recent fall camp practices open to the public, the fans cheered more for Hedley’s punts than for anything else.
“Yeah, I heard them,’’ he said. “It was pretty funny. It was nice.”
He told ESPN he wears jersey No. 94, former Hurricane Dwayne “The Rock’’ Johnson’s number, because The Rock was one of his childhood heroes. “Wearing his number is pretty surreal and pretty cool,’’ he said, acknowledging that he’d love to work out with The Rock one of these days.
“Thanks for rockin’ my #94,’’ Johnson posted afterward on Twitter. “Look forward to that workout one day. In the meantime, welcome to the U, keep disrupting and always be the hardest worker in the (MF’n) room. #TheU #94.’’
Hedley, who was examined by trainers under a tent at one point during fall camp, said he is now feeling and punting “great.’’
He said Spicer has also “been punting great.’’
“I think the depth in the special teams is amazing this year. We plan to be top three in the nation.’’
Hedley longs to be with his son, who was born in late February 2018, but he FaceTimes him every night.
“I miss him lots, but I see the bigger picture and maybe this is going to help in the long run,” he said.
This story was originally published August 3, 2019 at 12:53 PM.
