Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-20vs Toledo | 1 | 44 | 44.0 | 44 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-7vs Eastern Michigan | 2 | 101 | 50.5 | 59 | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-27@ Notre Dame | 4 | 181 | 45.3 | 57 | 2 | |
| Total | 7 | 326 | 46.6 | 59 | 4 |
#9
Rhys Dakin
Junior punter for Michigan State. From Melbourne, VIC — one of 83 Australians punting in FBS this season.
6′4″ · 235 lb · Melbourne, VIC · Mazenod College
Transferred Iowa → Michigan State for 2026
The numbers
46.6
yards per punt · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 punts, 45.3 avg, at Notre Dame
Inside the 20 · 57%
0%field median 33%60%
4 of his 7 punts died inside the 20. The field median is about one in three, among 134 FBS punters with 5+ punts this season.
The play that turned itSwung Troy from 29% to 75% to win.Troy at Iowa · 38-21
The story
Junior punter for Michigan State. From Melbourne, VIC — one of 83 Australians punting in FBS this season.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Iowa in 2024.
- Transferred from Iowa to Michigan State in 2026.
Rhys Dakin
Drops it inside the 20 and pins them on their own goal line. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Kirk Ferentz and Pat Fitzgerald. His first career honor landed in 2024: All-Big Ten.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
202413 games
- Signed with Iowa3-star out of ProKick Australia
- All-Big Tensecond
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM
All-Big Ten 2nd team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Michigan State
Coaching transition mid-career: Jonathan Smith → Pat Fitzgerald. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Michigan State
2025Iowa
2026Michigan State
Game log
Signature game
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +4 punts, +2 punts inside the 20.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Iowa8-5HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2025Iowa9-4HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2026Michigan State2-1HC: Pat Fitzgerald · Run-heavy
How he plays
Play style
Drops it inside the 20 and pins them on their own goal line.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
Michigan State carries two punters; Dakin has taken all seven punts. The No. 2,691 recruit in the country is punting in the Big Ten as a junior.
The battery
Michigan State’s specialists
- #50Nick DuzanskyLong snapper · Jr.
- #53Trey SerauskisLong snapper · Fr.
- #9Rhys DakinPunter · Jr.7 punts · 46.6 avg · 4 inside the 20
- #49Alex WeeksPunter · Fr.
- #37Liam BoydKicker · Sr.6 of 7 on field goals
- #85Stephen GonzalesKicker · Fr.
Where he came from
From Melbourne, VIC — one of 83 Australians punting in FBS this season.
DNA match
Player DNA
Pinner
Drops it inside the 20 and pins them on their own goal line.
P
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Trenton Gill’s 2021 season.
81%match
All-ACCNFL Rd 7
Matches Trenton on
Height
Class year
Yards / punt
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Tom Snee's sophomore season at Oregon (2021).
Matches Tom on
Class year
Height
In-20 rate
Differs from Tom on
Weight (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Rhys Dakin
Background
One of the top punters in the nation his first two seasons at Iowa (2024-25) . . . transferred to Michigan State in January 2026 . . . averaging 43.9 yards per punt (106 punts for 4,655 yards) in his career, including 47 punts inside the 20 (44 percent) with 26 punts of 50-plus yards . . .…
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology