Former Hawthorn forward Jackson Ross is the latest Aussie to swap the oval for the gridiron as a punter.
Ross, 23, was delisted by the Hawks after three years on the list from 2018 to 2020, but never played an AFL game in the brown and gold.
After spending the 2021 season in the VFL with Sandringham, Ross wanted a new challenge and earned a full scholarship with college powerhouse Tennessee as a punter.
After switching both his sport of choice and place of residence, Ross explained how he ended up landing with the Volunteers.
“It’s pretty crazy, it’s all happened quickly,” Ross said on SEN Breakfast.
“I got delisted at the end of 2020 - that COVID rattled season - by the Hawks.
“I sort of played in the VFL with Sandringham for a bit then wasn’t really sure what to do from there.
“I came across ProKick Australia from a mate, Tory Taylor who is at the Iowa Hawkeyes playing College.
“He said to go down and see what it was like, obviously I did that and haven’t really looked back since.
“I started speaking to Tennessee late last year and then got here in July this year.”
Having just landed at Neyland Stadium, Ross knows he has the next four years to prove his worth as a college punter as a dream to play in the NFL remains a distant possibility.
“This year for me was always going to be a redshirt year for me,” Ross said.
“We’ve got a really good punter named Paxton Brooks at the moment who is probably league-bound hopefully.
“Learning from him was always going to be the plan next season and then next year hopefully take the job and go from there … I could be here for five years.
“The NFL goal I guess is there, but I’m just taking little steps at the moment.
“I’ve never played a game of American football, it’s going to be interesting when it happens so we’ll just go from there.”
Tennessee currently hold a 6-0 record in the SEC East and recently beat Nick Saban’s Alabama 52-49 in a blockbuster clash at home.