Cats add graduate transfer punter

For the third year in a row, Northwestern is adding a graduate transfer punter.

Derek Adams, a two-time All-MAC punter from Kent State, announced on Friday that he will be joining the Wildcats as a graduate transfer.

Adams, who was awarded a scholarship by Northwestern, has one year of eligibility remaining and will be eligible to play this season.

Adams averaged 43.1 yards per punt for the Golden Flashes last season. He dropped 20 of his 59 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, and 11 of them went 50 or more yards.

Adams was the starting punter for Kent State in 2016 and 2017 before redshirting after playing four games 2018. In one of those 2018 games, against Akron, Adams had two punts that traveled more than 70 yards.

He was a second-team All-MAC selection in 2017 and a third-team selection last season.

Northwestern has made a habit of landing graduate transfers at the punter position. Jake Collins, who graduated from Western Kentucky, was the starting punter for the Wildcats in 2018, and even did some fill-in placekicking during their run to the Big Ten West title.

Last season, Andrew David, a Rice graduate who walked on for NU, split punting duties with sixth-year punter Daniel Kubiuk. David and Kubiuk together averaged 37.5 yards per punt for Northwestern last season, the lowest average in the Big Ten.

Adams will be the favorite to win the starting punter battle next season with walkons Jake Genyk and Cody Gronewold.

Adams, who also threw the javelin for Kent State, ranks third all-time in punting at Kent State with a 41.7-yard average.