Michael Kern gives New Mexico a high-floor punter with ACC-tested leg strength
Michael Kern is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound junior punter for New Mexico who transferred in after averaging 41.5 yards on 39 punts in 2025 at California, with 12 punts inside the 20, 16 fair catches forced, and seven punts of 50+ yards. He was rated as the fourth-best punter in the 2024 class by 247Sports and earned third-team Phil Steele preseason All-Mountain West honors, which says plenty about his reputation. The selling point: a big, consistent leg and placement skills that flip field position—exactly the kind of quiet assassin coaches love.
