The Arkansas football team lost another player to the transfer portal on Thursday, as HawgBeat can confirm that punter Max Fletcher will be exiting the program.
A 6-foot-5, 174-pound sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, Fletcher had a breakout season in the SEC last year after he punted 59 times for an SEC-leading 2,770 yards (46.9 average).
He was named All-SEC Second Team after pinning a fourth-best 19 punts inside the 20-yard line and was the first Arkansas punter to receive All-SEC recognition since Dylan Breeding in 2012.
As a freshman, Fletcher played in nine games and punted 38 times for an average of 37.5 yards. He booted three punts that traveled 50+ yards plus, but his debut campaign was marked with inconsistency.
Following Fletcher's expected departure, Arkansas now sits with 77 scholarship players on the roster. The max limit a team can have is 85 scholarship players, so Arkansas can add eight more over the coming months ahead of the fall.
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Arkansas Bio:
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2022 (FRESHMAN): Played in nine games during his first campaign with the Razorbacks, punting 38 times for an average of 37.5 yards … Booted three punts of 50+ yards, including a career-best 51 yards … Had 14 of his 38 punts fair caught and 14 inside the 20-yard line … Punted six times for 231 yards in his collegiate debut, a win over Cincinnati (Sept. 3) and his brother Mason, who punts for the Bearcats … Three punts for 107 yards vs. South Carolina (Sept. 10) … Averaged 35.7 yards over three punts against Missouri State (Sept. 17) … His six punts vs. Texas A&M went for 218 yards (36.3 ypp) … Career-high eight punts vs. Alabama averaged 42.5 yards … Punted once at Mississippi State for 25 yards and once vs. LSU for 31 yards … Four punts for 137 yards (34.3 ypp) in win over Ole Miss (Nov. 19) … Averaged 37 yards per punt on six punts in win over Kansas in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Dec. 28).
PRIOR TO ARKANSAS: Rated the No. 5 punter in the national recruiting class by 247Sports … Product of ProKick Australia in Melbourne, Australia … Coached by Nathan Chapman and John Smith.
PERSONAL: Son of Dustin and Suzanne Fletcher … Has one brother, Mason … Father, Dustin, played 23 years of Australian rules football in the Australian Football League, playing all 23 seasons for Essendon Football Club and representing Australia in international competitions … Brother, Mason, is the starting punter at Cincinnati … Born October 9, 2002.
