Burnip will provide training camp competition for punter Matthew Hayball
There are 46 days that remain until the New Orleans Saints open their 2025 regular season. They’ll do so at home against the Arizona Cardinals under Kellen Moore as their new head coach. At this time, No. 46 is being worn by punter James Burnip. An undrafted rookie, Burnip is trying to overthrow incumbent Matthew Hayball for the punting job. Here’s a look at Burnip’s path to the NFL as our Saints Player of the Day.
- Name (age): James Burnip (24)
- Hometown: Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
- Position: Punter
- Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 235 pounds
- College: Alabama Crimson Tide
- Relative Athletic Score: N/A
- Drafted: Undrafted in 2025 (Saints)
- NFL experience: Rookie
- 2025 salary cap hit: $843,333
An Australian rules football player at Victoria University, Burnip was recruited by SEC schools Mississippi and Alabama before deciding on the Crimson Tide. He won the punting job at Alabama as a freshman in 2021. Burnip consistently showed great range throughout his career with the Crimson Tide, averaging 43.9 yards per punt over his four years. The 2023 season was Burnip’s best. He led the SEC with 2,806 yards, averaging a whopping 47.6 per kick to finish third in the conference and resulting in 2nd Team All-SEC recognition.
Leading up to the 2025 NFL draft, Burnip was considered one of the top punting prospects. Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw was the only punter drafted, going in Round 6 by the Denver Broncos. This led to New Orleans signing James Burnip to an undrafted deal. Burnip was also a second-round selection by the Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian Football League global draft.
New Orleans has had three different punters in the last three seasons. The last two, Hayball and Lou Hedley, were also former Australian rules football players. James Burnip will now have his opportunity to face off against Matthew Hayball to provide competition for the Saints punting job in 2025.
