![]() Wile with the Michigan Wolverines in 2012 | |||||||||||
No. 6, 4 | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Punter | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | June 20, 1992 32) San Diego, California, U.S. | (age||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Francis Parker School (San Diego, California) | ||||||||||
College: | Michigan | ||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2015 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Player stats at PFR |
Matthew Blake Dickinson Wile (born June 20, 1992) is a former American football punter. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014. In four years at Michigan, he had 91 punts for 3,658 yards, an average of 40.2 yards per punt. He converted 20 of 29 field goal attempts and was successful on 33 of 33 extra point attempts. [1]
Wile began kicking at the age of 8. [2] He attended the Francis Parker School in San Diego, California, where he played high school football as a punter, placekicker, linebacker, and defensive end. [3] As a senior in 2010, he made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts, and 91 of his 101 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. [4] After his senior year, Wile played as a punter in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. [5] [6]
After the team's placekickers converted only 4 of 14 field goal attempts in 2010, signing a placekicker was one of the top priorities for the Michigan Wolverines football team. When Brady Hoke was named the team's new head coach in January 2011, Wile became Hoke's top kicking target. Wile had multiple connections to Hoke and Michigan. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all attended the University of Michigan Medical School. Additionally, Wile's father, Dr. Peter Wile, was the team doctor for the San Diego State Aztecs football team, the team Hoke coached during the 2010 season. [7] [8] After Wile announced his commitment to Michigan in late January 2011, his high school coach John Morrison joked about Wile's five generation legacy at Michigan: "Talk about a Michigan man. He's as close as possible." [3] Wile had a career-long 63-yard field goal in high school and was Michigan's highest rated kicking prospect since Garrett Rivas in 2003. [9] He majored in Industrial and Operations Engineering. [4]
Recruited principally as a placekicker, Wile was slated to handle kickoffs for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. [10] [11] [12] [13] However, the team's regular punter, Will Hagerup, was given a four-game suspension for violation of team rules before the season started. [14] As a result, Wile was given dual responsibility for kickoffs and punting as a true freshman. [15] [16] On picking up the additional duty, Wile said, "I hadn't really been practicing punting. When I got here, they asked me to start practicing." [17]
When Michigan faced San Diego State in September 2011, Wile's father (who had been San Diego State's team doctor since 1986) told reporters that "blood is thicker than water," and he would therefore be rooting for his son and the Wolverines in the game. [18] Wile averaged 49 yards on four punts against San Diego State. [19]
During the 2011 season, Wile has handled all 79 kickoffs for the Wolverines, totaling 5,054 yards and an average of 64.0 yards per kickoff. He also handled 17 punts for 707 yards with an average of 41.6 yards and a long punt of 58 yards. He also made four solo tackles in the 2011 season. [20] For the season, he earned 2011 Big Ten Conference All-Freshman team recognition from both ESPN.com and BTN.com. [21] [22]
Following spring practice in April 2012, head coach Brady Hoke said Wile and Will Hagerup were "neck and neck" for the position as the starting punter. [23] During the 2012 season, Wile was successful on two of three field goal attempts and handled 12 punts for an average of 35.9 yard with nine of his 12 punts pinning opponents inside their 20-yard line. [1]
In 2013, Wile became Michigan's principal punter, handling 61 punts for an average of 40.6 yards, including 10 punts in excess of 50 yards and 16 punts pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line. He also converted three of five field goal attempts in the 2013 season. [1]
As a senior in 2014, Wile handled only one punt but became the Wolverines' principal placekicker. He was 28 of 28 on extra point attempts and 15 of 21 on field goal attempts with two blocks. [1]
Wile signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers May 8, 2015. He was waived on June 10, 2015. [24] He was re-signed on July 30, but was waived again on August 5. [25] On August 17, 2015, he was re-signed by the Panthers. On August 30, 2015, Wile was released by the Panthers. [26]
On March 31, 2016, Wile signed with the Dallas Cowboys. [27] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Cowboys. [28]
On November 22, 2016, Wile signed with the Atlanta Falcons. [29] On November 29, 2016, he was released by the Falcons. [30]
On December 6, 2016, Wile was signed to the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals. [31] He was promoted to the active roster on December 13, 2016. [32] He was released on September 4, 2017. [33]
On January 19, 2018, Wile signed a reserve/future contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. [34] Wile was released on September 1, 2018. [35]
On September 2, 2018, Wile was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Vikings. [36] Wile was released on September 1, 2019. [37]
On September 17, 2019, Wile was signed to the Falcons practice squad. [38] He was promoted to the active roster on September 21, 2019, following an injury to Matt Bosher. [39] He was released on September 23 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on October 1. He was re-signed to the active roster on October 5 following another injury to Bosher. [40] He was waived on October 15. [41]
On November 6, 2019, Wile was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad, but was released three days later. [42] On November 16, he was re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on December 5. On December 30, 2019, Wile was signed to a reserve/future contract. [43] He was released on April 27, 2020. [44]
On December 31, 2020, Wile was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad. [45] His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on February 16, 2021. [46]
Hayden Scott Epstein is an American former football placekicker and punter who played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1998 to 2001 and played professional football in the National Football League (NFL), NFL Europe, and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Glenn Adam Pakulak, Jr. is a former American football punter. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Kentucky.
Mercury Wayne Hayes is a former professional American football and Canadian football wide receiver, kickoff returner, and punt returner. He has played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, and he has played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Montreal Alouettes. Prior to his professional football experience he was a University of Michigan Wolverines football star. He was drafted with the 136th overall pick in the 5th round of the 1996 National Football League draft.
Stephen Theodore Hauschka is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State.
Zoltán Meskó is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football at Michigan. Born in Romania, Meskó emigrated with his family to the United States and eventually settled in Ohio. There he was discovered as a potential kicker for his school's football team, the Twinsburg Tigers, and became one of the best high school football kickers in the nation, excelling as both a punter and placekicker. After earning top honors in his state, Meskó was recruited by several college football teams. He selected Michigan over several schools including Indiana, Ohio State, and USC.
The 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team, sometimes known as Team 132 in reference to the 132-year tradition of the Michigan football program, represented the University of Michigan in the sport of college football during the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
Blake Countess is a former American football cornerback. He played college football for Michigan, using three years of eligibility between 2011 and 2014. He was an All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 2013 after missing most of 2012 due to injury. His 2014 season was less successful and he used his final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer at Auburn in 2015. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft.
The 2012 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 78th edition of the annual postseason college football bowl game known as the Sugar Bowl. It featured the Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game was the final contest of the 2011 football season for both teams and was the third game of the 2011–2012 Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The game ended with 23–20 Michigan victory in overtime. Michigan represented the Big Ten Conference as the at-large team from the conference, while Virginia Tech represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as its at-large team. The game was televised in the United States on ESPN and an estimated 9.6 million viewers watched the broadcast live. This was the first Sugar Bowl since 2000, as well as only the sixth since World War II and the tenth overall, not to feature a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team. This was because the top two SEC teams, the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, played each other in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, also held at the Superdome. This was the last SEC-less Sugar Bowl until January 2021, when the Ohio State Buckeyes representing the Big Ten faced off against the Clemson Tigers representing the ACC
Devin Akeem Funchess is an American former football wide receiver and current professional basketball player for the Caribbean Storm Islands of the Baloncesto Profesional Colombiano. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines as a tight end, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
William Campbell is an American former professional football offensive tackle. He played college football at Michigan. Campbell was selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, Toronto Argonauts, Tampa Bay Vipers, and Seattle Dragons.
William Hagerup is a former college football punter for the Michigan Wolverines. He holds the single-season average punting yards record and was the Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2012.
The 2014 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the sport of college football during the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolverines played in the new East Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Brady Hoke. It was nicknamed "Team 135" in reference to the 135-year tradition of the Michigan football program.
Patrick Michael O'Donnell is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football at Cincinnati and Miami before being selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Damiere Byrd is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Byrd signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and has been a member of several other NFL teams.
Michael Albert Palardy is an American professional football punter who is a free agent. He played college football at Tennessee and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also been a member of the St. Louis Rams, Toronto Argonauts, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Washington Commanders.
Raymond McCloud III is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson.
Don Hageman III is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at San Diego State.
Kaare VedvikCORE-ee VED-vick; is a Norwegian professional gridiron football placekicker and punter for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Marshall and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has also been a member of several other National Football League (NFL) teams.
Matthew Wright is an American football placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Wright is known for breaking the Jacksonville Jaguars' 20-game losing streak, when he scored two fourth quarter field goals, including a game-winning 53 yarder in an NFL International Series game against the Miami Dolphins in London. Wright played college football at UCF where he was a member of the undefeated 2017 team that was selected as National Champions by the Colley Matrix.
Matt Ammendola is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma State. While at Oklahoma State, Matt was a 2017 initiate of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. On March 2, 2024, he received the chapters highest honor being inducted into the Gamma Chi Hall of Fame. After college, he signed with the Carolina Panthers, but later signed and played for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, and Houston Texans after going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft.