Freshman Paul Simon III emerged as a punter to the surprise of DePauw coaching staff after asking to try a punt the third day of training camp.
"[Former head] coach Long looked at me like I was stupid for asking, but said 'yeah, sure ok,'" Simon said.
Seems like that was a good choice on Long's part; Simon has punted the ball 51 times for more than 2,000 yards during the season. He averages 39.4 yards, and Simon is looking to join four other punters who have averaged more than 40 yards per punt. Against Washington University in St. Louis, he broke a DePauw record with a 75-yard punt in front of his family and home crowd at Blackstock Stadium.
That was DePauw's first win of the season and a special moment for Simon.
"It was great to have my family there, this was their first game since I played in high school," Simon said.
Not only has Simon's foot been a game-changer in many instances, but also his head and hands. Getting the start for half the season at safety, Simon is DePauw's sixth-best tackler with 35.
"He's come in to this year ready to play football," middle linebacker Cody Crook said. "He studied and worked hard and earned his way into a starting spot."
An all-around athlete, Simon was second-string quarterback, wide receiver and backup kicker in high school. He also played four years of baseball and basketball in high school.
As well as Simon has done defensively, the secondary is generally young and has allowed eight touchdown passes more than 40 yards. There was also an 80-yard run given up this year. Close scores have been the common theme for the team - losing three games by four points or less.
"It's been the taste in our mouths a lot this season, a couple of our fluke plays go our way and the scoreboard would've been different at the end," Simon said. "Our coaches do stress to be perfect on every play. Some of those games have been heavy on the run, and we get too nose-down in that then get beat over the top."
Simon battled a fever and concussion combination last weekend against Denison University, where he missed all of practice during the week. He's hoping to get the start on Monon, after being taken out for the last punt for junior Eric Malm to try his foot.
"Consistency at practice is going to be crucial for me this week," Simon said. "They will ultimately play the best player they feel for the job."
- WGRE contributed to this article