Senior Profile: Drew Galitz back on the grind
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One of the only true seniors on Baylor’s roster, Drew Galitz is going to be a sight for sore eyes when he makes is return to the field this season. The two-time All-Big 12 punter is already selected to the 2018 first team preseason All-Big 12. He ranks fifth on the team in career games played with 31.
Galitz played in just five games and was named to the 2017 Ray Guy Awards Watch List before a season-ending ACL injury (on opening kickoff against Kansas State) sidelined him last year. He punted 21 times for 950 yards with 5 punts inside the 20, and kicked off 24 times for 1,414 yards with 8 touchbacks on the season. Galitz was named Ray Guy Punter of the Week after his performance at Duke where he punted 7 times for 360 yards including career-longs of 68 and 70 yards.
As a sophomore, Galitz appeared in all 13 games as punter and handled kickoffs. During the 2016 season, he kicked a then-career-long 62-yard punt at West Virginia. Additionally, Galitz helped Baylor rank 5th in the Big 12 in punting, with 41.6 yards per punt, and earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention by the league’s coaches.
In 2015, Galitz was the primary punter in all 13 games as a true freshman. He averaged 40.7 yards per punt and was an All-Big 12 honorable mention by the league’s coaches.
Galitz came out of high school rated the #3 kicker in the nation by ESPN and #9 by 247Sports. He quickly gained a following after a video of a successful 71-yard field goal at Kohl’s Kicking Camp went viral.
(Viral Video of 71-yard field goal at Kohl’s Kicking Camp)
Drew Galitz is from Rowlett, Texas and is majoring in Communication Studies.
Antonia’s Thoughts: When I typically think “team asset”, I used to lean towards more flashy players (maybe wide receivers, safety’s, tight ends, or running backs). However, I believe that Galitz is probably one of the more underrated yet best assets we have on the team.
Players health has been a very talked about topic throughout last season and into spring practice as players were starting to come back from injuries. Before his ACL injury, Galitz was averaging 45.2 yards per punt on 12 attempts.
My hope for Galitz going into this season is that he has taken advantage of spring and fall practices to shake off the rust that can come from an injury. His ACL injury was an instance where an unpredictable act occurred and further hurt us last season. In addition to other players coming back healthy, I believe the return of Galitz is going to relieve some stress of the other kickers on the team.