ATHENS — Georgia will be adding an Ivy League graduate who will be an option to kick, punt or just kick off this season.
Cameron Nizialek, who has kicked the past three years at Columbia in the Ivy League, said on his Twitter account that he will be a graduate transfer at Georgia this season. He will have a year of eligibility, and will be a walk-on.
While many would naturally connect Nizialek’s addition to the Rodrigo Blankenship situation, the two appear unrelated. Nizialek originally announced his transfer on Monday — it was only noticed five days later — and his background is mainly as a punter. He also has dabbled in kicking off and field goals, so he would be an option there if necessary.
Punter is a spot that could use a backup option, with freshman Marshall Long coming off knee surgery and junior Brice Ramsey still mainly a quarterback. Ramsey has not given any public indications yet that he would leave the program to pursue a starting job at another school.
A native of Chantilly, Va., Nizialek was an All-Ivy League honorable mention as a punter in 2015, his redshirt sophomore year.
Nizialek averaged 44.8 yards on 34 punts this past season, while another kicker punted 42 times, averaging 40.5 yards. Nizialek was not the primary kickoff man or field goal kicker for the Lions. He went 1-for-2 on field goals, and averaged 53.6 yards on five kickoffs.
Blankenship was the main kicker this year and plans to return to the team despite no guarantee of a scholarship. William Ham, who began the year as the field goal kicker, has elected to leave the team.
Here is Nizialek’s post:
