CAREER NOTES: One of the top punters in Minnesota history • handled every punt for the Gophers over the past four seasons • appeared in 48 career games, averaging 41.2 yards per punt with a career long of 61 yards • owns the school record for career punts with 229 and ranks third on Minnesota’s career punting chart with an average of 41.3 yards per punt • developed a deadly “flop punt” over the past two seasons, placing 43 kicks inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

2008 • SENIOR Season: Averaged 41.9 yards per punt, ranking No. 4 on the Minnesota single-season punting average chart •  punted a career-high 74 times in 2008 • boomed 14 punts of 50 yards or more, including at least one in 11 of 13 games, with a season long of 60 yards • placed 22 punts inside the 20-yard line and forced 24 fair catches • also completed two passes, one on a fake punt and one on a fake field goal • Academic All-Big Ten selection • earned fourth letter. Game-by-Game: averaged 43.2 yards on five punts in the season opener vs. Northern Illinois (8/30) • boomed two of his five punts against the Huskies over 50 yards, including a season-long 54-yarder, and dropped one inside the 20-yard line • averaged 40.5 yards and killed two of six punts inside the 20 at Bowling Green (9/6), with a long of 51 yards • set career highs for number of punts (9) and punts inside the 20 (5) while averaging 41.4 yards per boot and forcing three fair catches vs. Montana State • crushed his lone punt against Florida Atlantic (9/20) 54 yards • averaged 42.5 yards on four punts, with a 51-yarder, and placed one inside the 20 at Ohio State (9/27) • punted for a 39.2-yard average on six punts with three fair catches on one downed inside the 20 vs. Indiana (10/4) • turned in a big game at Illinois (10/11), averaging 42.4 yards on seven punts, including a 53-yarder • also placed three punts inside the 20 and forced three fair catches vs. the Illini and completed his first career pass to Kevin Mannion for a 12-yard gain and a first down • dropped one of his four punts inside the 20 and force a fair catch on another at Purdue (10/25) • blasted punts of 54 and 51 yards and averaged 43.0 yards on his seven boots vs. Northwestern (11/1) • also connected on his second pass of the season to Lee Campbell on a fake punt • averaged 41.9 yards on seven punts, including a season-long 60-yarder, and forced a pair of fair catches against Michigan (11/8) • placed three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line and averaged 41.0 yards per punt, including a 50 yarder, at Wisconsin (11/15) • also averaged 44.5 yards on two free kicks (after safeties) against the Badgers • equaled his career high with nine punts vs. Iowa (11/22) • averaged 41.4 yards per punt against the Hawkeyes, including a 51-yarder, placing three boots inside the 20 and forcing three fair catches • punted four times with two of 50 yards or more and two inside the 20 at the Insight Bowl vs. Kansas (12/31).

2007 • JUNIOR SEASON: Earned second team All-Big Ten honors from the media • played in all 12 games • averaged a career best 42.7 yards on 62 punts, with 13 punts traveling over 50 yards • punting average 22nd in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten • also placed 21 punts inside the 20-yard line and forced 14 fair catches • named the Bobby Bell Award winner as the team’s top special teams player • Game-by-Game: pinned two of his six punts inside the 20 and had a 47-yard boot in the season opener vs. Bowling Green (9/1) • averaged 42.6 yards on five punts, including a 55-yarder against Miami (Ohio) (9/8) • punted just once for 32 yards at Florida Atlantic (9/15) • recorded his best punting average of the season vs. Purdue (9/22), averaging a career-high 51.7 yards on three attempts with a career-long 61 yarder • posted career highs for both punts (9) and total yards (402) to average 44.7 yards per punt against Ohio State (9/29) • tied a career best with three punts inside the 20 and also boomed a 58-yarder vs. the Buckeyes • punted for a 44.0-yard average on five kicks, including a 50-yard boot, at Indiana (10/6) • registered his second-best punting average of the season at Northwestern (10/13), averaging 50.2 yards on four punts and placing to boots inside the 20 • punted six times for 248 yards vs. North Dakota State (10/20), with a long of 52 yards • equaled his career high for punts in a game at Michigan (10/27) with nine, dropping three inside the 20-yard line and forcing a season-high three fair catches • killed 3 of 4 punts inside the 20 and had a 57-yard bomb vs. Illinois (11/3) • punted seven times for 270 yards at Iowa (11/10) with two dying inside the 20-yard line • punted three times for and average of 43.7 yards with a long of 51 in the season finale vs. Wisconsin (11/17) • earned third letter • scholar-athlete award winner.

2006 • SOPHOMORE SEASON: Appeared in all 13 games • averaged 40.3 yards on 56 punts and pinned 18 kicks inside the 20-yard line • Game-by-Game: placed his only punt at Kent State (8/31) inside the Golden Flashes’ 20-yard line • had the second five-punt night of his career at California (9/9) • punted twice for 94 yards against Temple (9/16) • booted one kick over 50 yards and pinned two punts inside the 20 against the Owls • punted four times for 154 yards at Purdue (9/23) • set a career-high with seven punts for 237 yards and three punts inside the 20 against Michigan (9/30) • matched his career-high with seven punts for a career-best 307 yards against Penn State (10/7) • booted a career-long 59-yard punt against the Nittany Lions • matched a career-high for the third straight game with seven punts at Wisconsin (10/14) • punted for a 47.6 yard average against NDSU (10/21) • booted three kicks over 50 yards against the Bison • punted five times for 186 yards at Ohio State (10/28) • had three punts for 136 yards (45.3 avg.) against Indiana (11/4) • matched a career-high by pinning three of his four punts against Michigan State (11/11) inside the 20-yard line • established a career-high with a 50.7-yard average on three punts against Iowa (11/18) • punted three times for 131 yards against Texas Tech (12/29) • participated in 122 plays • earned second letter.

2005 • FRESHMAN SEASON: Appeared in all 12 games, averaging 39.4 yards per punt • placed eight punts inside the 20-yard line • averaged 40.3 yards per punt in Big Ten competition • Game-by-Game: booted season-long punt of 55 yards on the first kick of his career at Tulsa (9/10) • also pinned two punts inside the 20-yard line in the season opener • punted twice for a total of 71 yards and pinned one punt inside the 20-yard line against Purdue (9/24) • punted four times for 182 yards and a career high 45.5 yards per punt average against Penn State (10/1) • punted a season-high five times for 195 yards with one punt inside the 20 against Michigan (10/8) • punted three times for 39.0 yards against Wisconsin (10/15) • narrowly missed his career-long with a 54-yard punt against Ohio State (10/29) • punted three times for 122 yards at Indiana (11/5) • had two punts for 80 yards against Michigan State (11/12) • punted four times for 167 yards at Iowa (11/19) • punted four times for a 37.3-yard average against Virginia in the Music City Bowl (12/30) • placed two punts inside the 20-yard line against the Cavaliers • appeared in 98 plays • earned first letter.

2004: Redshirted • scholar-athlete award winner.

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2004 graduate of Canfield (Ohio) High School • high school coach was Mike Pavlansky • received honorable-mention all-state recognition in 2002 and was a second-team selection in 2003 • twice named to the All-Northeast Ohio Team and a three-time all-conference choice • three-time all-conference selection • named Canfield’s Special Teams Most Valuable Player his last three seasons • averaged 42.3 yards per punt in 2003 with 27 punts for 1,142 yards, including a long of 56 yards • also lettered in baseball.

PERSONAL: Business and marketing education major • son of Jack and Janice Kucek • born May 22, 1985.