Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Football Contacts SEC Punter
Pitt has had its fair share of problems punting the football over the last few seasons, and despite somewhat of a bounce-back season for incumbent Caleb Junko, the coaching staff is looking for added competition.
Pitt is set to lose walk-on Cade Dowd and long-time holder Cam Guess, so even if the staff is 100% confident in Junko, there’s an opening.
So, Pitt has reached out and contacted Arkansas transfer punter Sam Dubwig, he told Pittsburgh Sports Now. He also heard from Georgia State, Wyoming and Toledo on Monday.
Dubwig — a 6-foot-3, 231-pound freshman kicker from Cabot, Ark. — walked on at Arkansas last offseason, choosing the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from Central Arkansas and UNLV.
He didn’t see any action during his true freshman campaign but isn’t far removed from being one of the top punting prospects in the country.
Dubwig was the eighth-ranked punter in the class of 2024 by Chris Sails Kicking, holding a five-star rating, which is awarded to an “FBS freshman year starter or scholarship pick.”
“Samuel is a phenomenal high school punting prospect,” the Chris Sails Kicking evaluation said. “He is big, tall, strong and athletic. Samuel has an ideal D1 punting frame. He punts for a nice combination of distance in hang time. Samuel averages 45+ yards per punt with 4.8+ second hang time. His best ball measures 50+ yards, with 5.0+ hang time. I really like his potential and upside. He has the tools to be one of the very best at the next level. Samuel is a fine young man who is always a great pleasure to work with. The Adidas All-American Bowl Punter has a bright future. Outstanding prospect.”
He averaged just over 46 yards a punt in high school, earning a spot at the 2024 Adidas All-American Bowl on NBC.
Junko took a step forward this season, averaging 43.8 yards per punt on 53 attempts. But for all of the natural talent that Junko possesses, he hasn’t been able to boot the ball consistently during his time at Pitt. It remains to be seen whether the Panthers will seriously pursue Dubwig, but there’s at least interest in adding to the punting room.
