As Vanderbilt punter Matt Hayball trots out to the FirstBank Stadium field on Saturday, he'll take on a generally thankless role. It’s a bit different than that for the fifth-year senior, though.

Hayball has become one of the faces of Vanderbilt’s team and a favorite within its fanbase.

“Yeah, absolutely, I definitely appreciate any support I can get," Hayball said. "It’s often a position that doesn’t get a whole lot of notice so I definitely appreciate that."

Frankly, Hayball has earned that support.

The veteran punter has piled up over 11,000 yards worth of punts, which totals to over six miles. Hayball also leads all active NCAA punters in career yards and is top 20 in punting yards all time.

That's not to mention Hayball having the second highest punting average in the country, being one of just six punters to possess a punt of over 70 yards and PFF's second highest graded player at his position.

Hayball brushes off some of those accolades when asked about them but Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea has certainly taken notice and has become a fan of his punter.

“He’s dangerous, he’s a dangerous punter, he’s really good and he’s got confidence," Lea said. “He’s not a punter, he’s a football player.”

That's apparent in Hayball's background, which includes a childhood full of Australian football.

“I grew up playing Australian football, that’s a sport where basically we pass the ball around the field punting it to each other," Hayball said. "I’ve been kicking the ball around a long time, I basically learned just by following the story of a few guys that came over before me, I had been a fan of college football for a number of years."

That background and some training brought Hayball from his home in Australia all the way to America.

"When I was finishing up playing Aussie football I just was following those stories and contacting those guys (that came before him) and just going from there," Hayball said. "It took me about six to 12 months of training to earn a scholarship and I moved over on the back of that."

With the help of ProKick, an Australian academy known primarily for developing punters and kickers, Hayball ended up at Florida Atlantic where he started as a freshman.

“That’s (contact with college coaches) all done through ProKick, that’s kinda the training academy we all come through. Coaches will call them and they kinda decide who they think is gonna be a good fit based on what that school is looking for and the skillset the guys in the program have, they kinda match us up.”

Hayball's successful three years at Florida Atlantic led him to Vanderbilt in 2022.

The fifth-year senior's game has taken the next step since then, perhaps due to what Hayball describes as a "big focus" on special teams from the Vanderbilt staff.

"(I give) Credit to the work that was done over the spring with the coaches, it’s been a big focus. It’s not been a part of the game that the coaches have overlooked and the guys work really hard to improve that area of the game."

The veteran punter also largely credits the other members of his unit.

"I definitely give a lot of credit to the whole unit, they’ve done a great job at being able to protect for us and protect, as well," Hayball said. “They are crucial, the main thing is net punt, that’s the one we need to preform well at and out guys have made a massive jump this year, we’ve had some guys really stepping up. Savion Riley has made some really big plays."

Hayball takes plenty of pride in holding up his end of the bargain, too.

“I think field position is huge so that’s not just the punter we talk about, it’s all three phases being together so that starts with the offense and getting us down. The end objective is to try to pin them as deep as we can but I think field position is extremely important so I definitely take great pride in doing the best that I can to put the defense in a good spot.”

Hayball his put his defnese in enough good spots to where he himself is in one. Perhaps one that could end in the Australian punter getting an NFL opportunity after his final season at Vanderbilt.

For the fifth-year senior, that's the clear goal.

“Definitely gonna have a go at trying to make the NFL, I’m gonna work as hard as I can at that and whatever happens, happens," Hayball said. "It's definitely the goal."

That's something that Hayball couldn't have imagined just a few years ago. The Australia native approaches things with gratitude because of that.

“Definitely not when I first reached out to ProKick, I had no idea where it was gonna take me so just very grateful, very fortunate to have ended up here," Hayball said when asked if he could've imagined this career.

"I’ve learned so much from the experience. Coach Lea emphasizes that, growing holistically as a person and I just feel great about what I’ve been able to learn and accomplish while I’ve been here and just have loved my time in the states and hopefully can stick around a little longer.”