Syracuse punter Sterling Hofrichter was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. A four-time Ray Guy Award candidate, he ended his career with the most punting yards in Syracuse history.

Hofrichter averaged a career high yards-per-punt average in 2019 (43.9), and recorded a career-long punt of 65 yards in a September 2019 loss to Clemson. He also pinned teams inside their own 20-yard line in 19-straight games to end his career. 

“Confidence is everything as a kicker and punter,” Hofrichter said in 2017. “You have to be confident or you’re not going to succeed. I’ve always felt good.”

At the 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, NFL teams watched as Hofrichter kicked four times for 134 yards (33.5 avg.). Two of those punts landed inside the 20-yard line. 

The Falcons fielded four punters in 2019: Matt Bosher, Kasey Redfern, Ryan Allen and Sam Irwin-Hill. Bosher became a free agent at the end of the season and Redfern was released in October, 2019. Allen, a three-time Super Bowl winner with the Patriots, played in eight games last year, averaging 41.9 yards per punt, while Irwin-Hill was a member of the practice squad last season but was released on April 25 — possibly paving the way for Hofrichter. 

Hofrichter is the second Syracuse player to be picked in the 2020 NFL Draft, as edge rusher Alton Robinson was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round.