2022 Miami Hurricanes player preview: Lou Hedley

Lou Hedley is Miami’s six-foot-four, 220 pound punter from Mandurah, Australia. Hedley, a 6th year redshirt senior, will have used four years of his eligibility at the University of Miami by season’s end. Hedley transferred to Miami from the City College of San Francisco, where he served as a punter at the JUCO level.

After redshirting in 2018 to save eligibility, the tattooed Hedley burst onto the scene as the ‘Canes punter in ‘19. Hedley averaged 43.9 yards per punt in 2019, and his stature and look didn’t hurt his status once NIL became a viable option, and number 94 didn’t waste time cashing in.

However, his punting acumen took a step further in 2020 even through the pandemic off-season. In ‘20, Hedley averaged 47.2 yards per punt and was listed as a second team AP ALl-American, a second team All-ACC pick, as well as a Ray Guy Award finalist for the nation’s best punters.

In 2021, Hedley was a Ray Guy Award semi-finalist after averaging 44.7 yards per punt last season. Hedley was again an All-ACC second team punter per many outlets.

Lou is, of course, a member of the Life Wallet NIL club (above), but also does charitable work with his name, such as Clay and Lou’s Meal Mania (below).

The 2022 season

Hedley is on the Athlon ACC All-Conference preseason team as the first team punter for ‘22. He returns as part of a trio of specialists at Miami for Year One of the Coach Cristobal Era. The others are long snapper Clay James, and place kicker Andres Borregales, an Athlon second team kicker.

Hedley has nerves of steel, often punting with his heels on the back line or the goal line in his first three seasons as a Hurricane. A versatile weapon, Hedley can punt rugby style, pro style, and is athletic enough to be used on fake punts.

2022 Prediction: 45 yards per punt and his first Ray Guy Award.