Austin Rehkow REE-koh; (born March 17, 1995) is a former American football punter. He played college football for the Idaho Vandals football team at the University of Idaho.[1]

Austin Rehkow
No. 5, 4
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-17) March 17, 1995 (age 29)
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:214 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school:Spokane Valley (WA) Central Valley
College:Idaho
Undrafted:2017
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • 3× First-team All-Sun Belt Punter (2014–2016)
  • FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Year Punter (2013)
  • 2× Second-team All-Sun Belt Kicker (2015, 2016)
  • First-team Walter Camp All-American Punter (2013)
  • Second-team Walter Camp All-American (2014)
  • AP Third-team All-American - Punter (2013)
R/RehkAu01.htm Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early years

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Rehkow was raised in Veradale, Washington and attended Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley, Washington. He also played soccer before switching to American football.[2] In 2012, Rehkow set the record for the longest field goal ever kicked in the state of Washington, measuring 67 yards, just one shy of the national high school record set in 1986 by Dirk Borgognone. Kelly Imhoff made (62 yards) in 1929 and Larry Stovall-Moody (60 yards) in 1996 are the only 3 60 yards or more kicked in the state of Washington. It was one of three field goals of over 50 yards Rehkow kicked that year.[3]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 2+78 in
(1.90 m)
214 lb
(97 kg)
31+78 in
(0.81 m)
9+78 in
(0.25 m)
All values from NFL Combine[4][5]

Rehkow went undrafted in the 2017 NFL draft, with the league's scouting combine profile concluding he lacked the leg strength to be a full-time placekicker but had enough precision as a punter to have a future in the league.[1]

Buffalo Bills

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On May 5, 2017, Rehkow signed with the Buffalo Bills, who had released their previous placekickers Jordan Gay and Dan Carpenter at the end of the 2016 season.[6][7] He was waived on August 20, 2017, having lost the competition to Stephen Hauschka.[8]

New York Giants

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On January 1, 2018, Rehkow signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants as a punter.[9] He was waived by the Giants on May 7, 2018.[10]

Salt Lake Stallions

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In 2018, Rehkow joined the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football as a punter.[11] The league ceased operations in April 2019.[12]

Houston Roughnecks

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In October 2019, Rehkow was selected by the Houston Roughnecks in the 2020 XFL Draft's open phase.[13] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[14]

Indianapolis Colts

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On December 23, 2020, Rehkow signed with the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad.[15] On January 10, 2021, Rehkow signed a reserve/futures contract with the Colts.[16] On April 28, 2021, Rehkow was waived by the Colts.[17]

Personal life

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Rehkow is the older brother of Cincinnati Bengals punter, Ryan Rehkow.[18][19] Austin and Ryan's youngest brother, Cameron Tyler Rehkow, had leukemia when he was 11-years-old.[20]

Rehkow is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Austin Rehkow Combine Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018.
  2. ^ Holmes, David (June 30, 2017). "Austin Rehkow, K/P, Idaho: 2017 NFL Draft Scouting Report". FoxSports.com.
  3. ^ Jenks, Jayson (October 18, 2012). "Central Valley's Austin Rehkow kicks state-record 67-yard field goal". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  4. ^ "Austin Rehkow Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "Austin Rehkow 2024 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Sambrotto, Anthony (May 5, 2017). "Bills agreed to terms with 13 undrafted free agents". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Schneidman, Matt (August 2, 2017). "Austin Rehkow battles for Bills spot while his little brother fights leukemia". The Buffalo News. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Brown, Chris (August 20, 2017). "Bills sign TE Anderson, S McDonald". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  9. ^ "Giants sign nine players to futures contracts". BigBlueView.com. January 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Eisen, Michael (May 7, 2018). "Giants waive five players ahead of rookie minicamp". Giants.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018.
  11. ^ "AREA BRIEFS: Cougs hold off Matadors". Lewiston Morning Tribune. November 28, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  12. ^ Rothstein, Michael; Wickersham, Seth (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Talbot, Damond (October 16, 2019). "XFL Draft Phase 5: The Final Rounds of the Draft, Find out who was selected". NFL Draft Diamonds. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  14. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "Practice Squad Moves: Colts Sign P Austin Rehkow & TE Andrew Vollert". Colts.com. December 23, 2020.
  16. ^ "Colts Announce Two Extensions, 16 Reserve/Future Contracts". Colts.com. January 10, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  17. ^ "Colts Waive Elijah Nkansah, Austin Rehkow, Casey Tucker". Colts.com. April 28, 2021.
  18. ^ Greene, Brenna (October 26, 2020). "'It's a dream come true': Central Valley's Ryan Rehkow thriving as BYU's punter". KREM.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  19. ^ Miller, Lucas (October 22, 2021). "BYU's Ryan Rehkow Is an Elite-Level Punter". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "NCAA Football Team Cheers Up LDS Boy with Cancer in Sweetest of Ways". ldsliving.com. November 12, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2024.