Texas Lands Penn State Kicker/Punter Anthony Fera

Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Texas had a need and Anthony Fera was able to fill it.  This morning it was announced that Penn State redshirt junior Anthony Fera has committed to transfer to the University of Texas football team.  Fera handled all kicking and punting duties for the Nittany Lions last season and was a second-team All-Big 10 punter and semi-finalist for the Lou Groza award, which recognizes the top placekicker in college football.  Fera, a Cypress, Texas native, made 14 of 17 field goals last year and averaged 42 yards per punt for Penn State last season.  He played high school football for Coach Robin Kirk at St. Pius X High school in Houston and was an Under Armour All-American in 2008.

With the addition of Fera, the Longhorns seemed to have solved a critical piece of the special teams unit, which lost four-year kicker Justin Tucker last December.  Fera’s transfer gives the kicking game a much-needed boost, as the Longhorns were relatively undecided on kicking/punting duties headed into fall camp this week.  True freshman Nick Jordan looked to have had a leg up in the kicking battle, with redshirt freshman Ben Pruitt and Shreveport’s William Russ challenging the strong-legged Jordan for the job.  Texas boasts a number of kickers and punters on the roster but none more qualified than Fera to kick and punt, especially in high-pressure situations.  The Longhorns won their final regular season game last year against rival Texas A&M on the leg of veteran kicker Tucker.  Texas looks to take advantage of Fera’s experience in game situations that allow a seasoned kicker to convert opportunities into points.

Fera becomes the 7^th Penn State University football player to transfer as a result of the sanctions levied by the NCAA in relation to the Jerry Sandusky scandal.