From Nebraska to the NFL: Kyle Larson

By Jeff Griesch
Huskers.com

All this summer on Huskers.com, we are featuring football players who have enjoyed outstanding professional careers by making the transition from Nebraska to the NFL. Kyle Larson was an All-America punter for the Huskers who closed his NU career in 2003. He has developed into one of the NFL's best punters heading into his fourth season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Funk, Neb., native signed with the Bengals as a free agent following the 2004 NFL Draft and wasted little time making an impact for Cincinnati. He averaged 42.2 yards per punt in his first professional season and was named to Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie Team.

Larson was even better in 2005, averaging 43.2 yards per punt, including a Bengal-record 75-yard bomb in the second quarter against Jacksonville on Oct. 9.

Last season, Larson continued to climb the ladder among the NFL's best punters, averaging 44.5 yards per punt to rank eighth in the league. He was even better in net punting, averaging 38.6 yards per boot for the best mark by a Bengal punter in a decade.

Along with his outstanding punting abilities, Larson has been an asset to the Bengals as a holder for place-kicker Shayne Graham on both PATs and field goals. In fact, Larson was the holder for all of Graham's club-record 158 consecutive PATs and 17 straight field goals.

During his stellar career at Nebraska, Larson earned All-America and All-Big 12 honors as a finalist for the 2003 Ray Guy Award. He also set the NU record with his 45.1-yard-per-punt average on 66 punts as a senior and finished his career with a 43.7-yard average on 195 punts.

Larson earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in business administration and was a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.