46 yards per punt (41 punts); 7-12 FGs; 30-32 XP
- Redshirt senior
- 6’1″ 199 pounds
- Entered portal Jan . 29, 2021
In 2018, Joe Doyle shockingly beat out Paxton Brooks for the starting punter job. He lost it to Brooks midway through 2019, entered the transfer portal and then decided to come back. However, with Brooks firmly supplanted as Tennessee football’s starting punter in 2020, Doyle made the right move transferring across state to the Memphis Tigers.
He joined the team with two years of eligibility left, and in his first year, he turned into an all-around kicker. Over a third of Doyle’s punts, 16 of them to be exact, pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line, and 14 were fair-caught. He nailed a 67-yarder and had 16 of his punts go for 50 yards or more.
Beyond the punting, though, Doyle began to handle place kicking duties. Sure, being just over 50 percent on those while missing two extra points was an overall dismal performance, but Doyle doing that on top of his punting abilities is what makes his production impressive. He also did make a 51-yarder.
Next year, if Doyle becomes more automatic on easy kicks, he could become an All-American. He already earned an AAC Special Teams Player of the Week award last year, and while Vol fans are happy with Brooks, Doyle is proving he is elite.