Former BYU Football punter Ryan Rehkow is again looking for an NFL home. Making a living in the NFL is a lucrative but very difficult career. Last weekend, former BYU punter Ryan Rehkow found out how difficult that can be. After being projected as one of the top three punters to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, Rehkow was picked up very quickly after the draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
While it’s not unheard of for a punter to be picked up in the NFL Draft, unless a team really needs one, most punters will get signed as Undrafted Free Agents.
However, Rehkow didn’t last long, as he lost the punting battle with current punter Matt Araiza. Teams in the NFL are only allowed to have so many players, practice players, and players on any kind of roster, so when it became clear that Rehkow wouldn’t be the punter, the Chiefs did what was best for him and let him go.
What’s Next For Ryan Rehkow?
![BYU Football: What's Next For Former Punter Ryan Rehkow After Being Shockingly Let Go By Kansas City Chiefs? 1 USATSI 21708470 168400517 lowres](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/USATSI_21708470_168400517_lowres-1024x683.jpg)
Although it stings that Rhekow was let go by the Chiefs, it probably was in his best interest for him to move on. Now, 32 teams in the NFL could pick Rehkow up if they suddenly have a punter get injured or if there are any off-the-field issues.
The problem is, teams aren’t going to have a second punter on their active roster. With so few openings as it is, and with how rarely punters get injured, there isn’t a strong enough case to have a second punter on a team.
What is likely to happen for Rehkow is one of two things. Either he will get another team to bring him in where he can try to beat out the current starter, or there may be a team out there that is willing to pick him up as a free agent for now and then let him get some NFL Preseason action to see how he does in an actual game.
What is more than likely going to be the case, however, is that Rehkow will end up playing in the UFL, where he will be able to showcase his skills and hopefully get a tryout in the future. This year, there have already been UFL kickers picked up by NFL teams and given a tryout.
Does BYU Football Have a Kicker?
For some readers, you may just realize that BYU football is not returning their starting punter from last year. Punting was, unfortunately, sometimes the highlight of the team last year, and Rehkow kept the Cougars in games by either pinning opponents deep in their territory or pulling off fake punts.
Fortunately, BYU Football may not miss much in the kicking game as Australian punter Sam Vander Haar has transferred from Pittsburgh and will handle punts this year for the Cougars. Vander Haar was the punter for the Panthers in 2022, where he punted 31 times and had 11 kicks inside the 20 to only one touchback. His average was only 38.6 yards, and the Cougars hope that can go up some, but his punting average can also be deceiving because if presented with a short field, it’s only possible to kick it so far.
The Cougars will kick off their season on August 31st against Southern Illinois.
Get More NFL and College Football Content
Check out more of my stories, or leave a comment below! For more of the biggest storylines of College Football, the transfer portal, or the NFL, click here or follow me on Twitter/X.