Johnny Townsend (American football)
Johnny Townsend (born February 14, 1995) is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Florida[1][2][3] during the 2013 until 2017 season.[4] He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. His younger brother Tommy Townsend is a punter for the Kansas City Chiefs. [5]
Free agent | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Punter | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Orlando, Florida | February 14, 1995||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Boone (Orlando, Florida) | ||||||||||||
College: | Florida | ||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2018 / Round: 5 / Pick: 173 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2018 | |||||||||||||
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Early years
Townsend played at William R. Boone High School in Orlando.[6] He was initially recruited by Ohio State.[7]
College career
Townsend had the highest NCAA Division I FBS punting average in the country in 2016, with a 47.9 yard average.[8] With this average, he also set the all-time punting record for the Florida Gators.[9]
Professional career
Oakland Raiders
Townsend was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. The pick used to draft him was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Jamize Olawale.[10] He made his NFL debut in the Raiders' season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. He had four punts for 178 net yards in the 33–13 loss.[11] In Week 10, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he executed a 42-yard rush on a fake punt.[12] He totaled 70 punts for 3,022 net yards for a 43.17 average in his rookie season.[13] He was waived by the Raiders on August 13, 2019.[14]
New York Giants
On August 14, 2019, Townsend was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.[15] He was waived on August 31, 2019.[16]
References
- Thompson, Edgar. "UF punter Johnny Townsend 'one of defense's best friends'".
- "Johnny Townsend is a game changer for Florida Gators". November 3, 2016.
- "Gators fans should acknowledge punter Johnny Townsend's value to team".
- "Johnny Townsend, Florida, Punter". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- {{cite web|url=https://floridagators.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=11680
- "Florida's Johnny Townsend mindful of his standing among country's best collegiate punters". October 11, 2016.
- Chris Hays. "Boone punter Johnny Townsend signs with Florida over Ohio State, Alabama - Video". Orlando Sentinel.
- "NCAA Punting Statistics - Individual". ncaa.com. January 10, 2017.
- Pantages, Will (January 13, 2017). "NFL DRAFT TRACKER: WHO IS STAYING, WHO IS LEAVING EARLY?". floridagators.com.
- "Raiders Select Johnny Townsend In Fifth Round Of 2018 NFL Draft". Raiders.com. April 28, 2018. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- "Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders - September 10th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- "Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders - November 11th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- "Johnny Townsend 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- "Raiders sign Dorleant and Holsey, waive Cheevers and Townsend". Raiders.com. August 13, 2019.
- Eisen, Michael (August 14, 2019). "Giants claim punter Johnny Townsend off waivers". Giants.com.
- Eisen, Michael (August 31, 2019). "New York Giants announce 53-man roster". Giants.com.