Zoltán Meskó (American football)

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Zoltán Meskó
Punter
Personal information
Born: (1986-03-06) 6 March 1986 (age 38)
Timișoara, Romania
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Twinsburg (OH)
College:Michigan
NFL draft:2010 / Round: 5 / Pick: 150
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Punts:209
Punt long:65
Punting yard average:43.9
Net punting yard average:39.0
Player stats at NFL.com

Zoltán Meskó (

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
.

At Michigan, Meskó did not win the starting job as a punter right away. He

by several publications. He holds the career and single-season records for punts and punting yards at Michigan.

In the NFL, Meskó set a rookie record for

net punting yard average
.

Early years

Meskó, who comes from the

Nicolae Ceauşescu in Romania. The family was so immersed in the middle of the crossfire that they often dodged bullets by getting on the floor in their apartment. Zoltán was just passing through toddlerhood at the time of the revolution so he does not remember much of the details,[4] but the family stuffed windows with pillows during the conflict.[5]
As a child, Meskó had a strong interest in
soccer.[6] His childhood heroes were Gheorghe Hagi and former NBA star Gheorghe Mureșan.[7][8] At the age of twelve, he immigrated with his family to Ohio and Meskó was introduced to American football when he was spotted as a potential kicker in eighth grade gym class when he knocked out a light during a kickball game.[9][10] Meskó is a left-footed kicker.[11] Meskó, who could not distinguish a football from a rugby ball when he first arrived in the states, familiarized himself with the sport of American football via the television.[12]

In 2003, Meskó earned Northeast Ohio Inland All-District Division II football team honorable mention recognition from the media while performing as a

After his junior season, he compiled tapes of his best punts, field goals, and kickoffs and sent them to 86 schools, hoping for ten responses. As a result of his tapes, he received 14 invitations for campus visits.

Indiana University camp and received a full scholarship offer from the Hoosiers.[6][9] Subsequently, at the University of Michigan camp, he averaged 48.5 yards per punt and a 4.6 second average hang time and was offered a scholarship.[6] During the visit he impressed coaches when he saw fifth-year punter Adam Finley kicking balls on the roof of the Michigan indoor practice facility and joined in by kicking four in a row over the building.[9] He was also admitted to all of the Ivy League schools.[18]

Meskó had a successful high school career and was ranked second among kickers in the 2005

recruiting class by Rivals.com and fourth among punters by Scout.com.[19][20] He committed to Michigan on 28 June 2004, just before his senior year of high school.[21] He committed to Michigan mainly as a punter.[22] After committing to Michigan, he continued to be recruited by the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the USC Trojans.[9] Over the course of his high school career, he evolved from a 155-pound (70.3 kg), 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) freshman into a 240-pound (108.9 kg), 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m) senior.[6]

As a senior, Meskó once punted a ball 70 yards in the air.

U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a punter.[26] During the game, he drew a roughing the kicker penalty and posted seven punts including kicks of 56, 48 and 47 yards and a pooch punt that he placed inside the 15-yard line.[27] He was named an Associated Press Division II All-Ohio first-team punter.[28] He was also selected to numerous local area All-star teams as both a punter and a placekicker. He served as both punter and kicker for the Ohio team during the 2005 Big 33 Football Classic in which he was 4 for 5 on PATs.[29][30] He was recognized as the 2004 Northeast Inland All-District Division II first team punter by the media.[31] He was selected as the All-Akron Beacon Journal team placekicker and the all-Summit County punter.[32][33] The Akron area coaches selected him as both the punter and kicker for the All-Western Reserve Conference, North Division first-team.[34] He was selected to the combined Summit-Medina-Portage Counties All-Area team as the first team punter by The Plain Dealer.[35] He was the first team punter for The Plain Dealer All-area team.[36] Although Meskó's high school required 40 hours of community service, he performed over 300 hours.[12]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Zoltán Meskó
P
Twinsburg, Ohio Twinsburg (OH) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (100 kg) -- Jun 28, 2004 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
P)   Rivals: 2 (PK/P), 36 (OH
)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  • "2005 Michigan Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  • "2005 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 14 October 2009.

College career

Lloyd Carr era

Meskó punts as a Michigan Wolverine.

Prior to the

2005 season, it appeared that the Michigan Wolverines would use three kickers: Garrett Rivas for field goals and extra points, Ross Ryan for kickoffs and Meskó for punting,[37] but redshirt junior Ryan beat out Meskó and junior Mark Spencer for the punting duties.[38] Meskó redshirted as a freshman at Michigan in 2005, while Ryan ranked last in the Big Ten for the 2005 season with a 38.3 yard average.[39]

Entering the 2006 season for Michigan, head coach Lloyd Carr could not decide between Meskó and Ryan.[40] In the team's opening game against Vanderbilt, Meskó punted three times and Ryan once.[41] The two shared the kicking duties for the first four games with Meskó recording 12 punts and Ryan recording 9.[42][43][44][45] In the fifth game of the season, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the Little Brown Jug, Meskó handled all of the punting duties.[46] Ryan punted only five more times the rest of the season.[47] Meskó finished the season fourth in the Big Ten and 38th in the nation in punting average.[48][49] Meskó earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference recognition for earning a letter while maintaining a 3.0+ average during the fall.[50]

Prior to the 2007 season, Meskó adjusted his kicking technique to a straight motion instead of a cross-over like National Football League punters.[51] He was a preseason Ray Guy Award watchlist nominee.[52] After Rivas graduated, the 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team had a battle for the placekicking duties for the 2007 season between redshirt freshman Bryan Wright and two walk-ons.[53] When the team had two fourth quarter field goal attempts blocked during their season-opening 34–32 loss to the two-time defending FCS champion Appalachian State Mountaineers, Meskó was an uninvolved third stringer but handled punting duties.[54] Meskó finished the season fifth in the Big Ten in punting average,[55] and was again Academic All-Conference.[56]

Rich Rodriguez era

Co-captain Meskó led the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team onto the field (above 26 September and below 5 September)

When

holder on placekicks.[67] Meskó repeated a Guy Award watchlist candidate in 2008.[52] After the list was narrowed from fifty to ten, Meskó was a semifinalist for the award.[68] Meskó led the Big Ten in punting average and finished twentieth in the nation.[69][70] He was named to the Big Ten All Conference First-Team in 2008.[71] He was recognized by Phil Steele as a fourth team All-American for 2008.[72] Meskó was Academic All-Conference for a third time.[73] At the conclusion of the 2008–09 academic year, the inaugural class of Big Ten Distinguished Scholars was recognized for having attained a 3.7 GPA for the academic year while earning varsity letters,[74] and Meskó was among the honorees.[75]

Meskó at 2009 Michigan spring practice

As a senior, Meskó entered the

Football Bowl Subdivision athletes and six Big Ten athletes selected as a first-team Academic All-American.[2][89] He was the second-team All-American punter selection by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Associated Press, Scout.com, and Rivals.com.[90][91][92][93] He was an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, and College Football News.[94][95][96] He finished the season ranked eighth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in punting average.[97][98][99] On 31 December 2009, he was one of 22 players recognized as a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which rewards public service and volunteer work.[100]

.

Meskó is Michigan's career leader in punts and punting yardage and is second only to Monte Robbins in punting average.[101] He is also the Michigan single-season punts (80) and punting yards (3436) record holder.[102] His 44.46 was a school single-season record that lasted three years until Will Hagerup surpassed it.[103] Meskó ranks ninth all-time in career punts and seventh in punting yardage in Big Ten Conference history.[104] At the close of his collegiate career, Meskó was rated the number one punter prospect for the 2010 NFL draft by Scouts.com.[105]

Statistics

Punting
Season Team GP Punts Avg Long Yds
2006 Michigan 13 50 41.6 64 2,079
2007 Michigan 13 70 41.1 68 2,876
2008 Michigan 12 80 43.0 63 3,436
2009 Michigan 12 52 44.5 66 2,312
Total 50 252 42.5 68 10,703

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Bench press
6 ft 4+12 in
(1.94 m)
240 lb
(109 kg)
34 in
(0.86 m)
10 in
(0.25 m)
16 reps
All values from NFL Scouting Combine.[106][107]

Meskó ranked second among all specialists at the

NFL Combine with 16 repetitions on the bench press.[108]

New England Patriots

2010 to 2012

Meskó was drafted by the

Brandon Graham was the first) in the 2010 draft.[110] He signed a four-year contract on 16 June 2010.[111]

In Week 6 of his rookie season, Meskó set a season-long record with a 65-yard punt in overtime that gave the Baltimore Ravens the ball at their own 19-yard line. The Ravens failed to gain a first down and punted back to the Patriots, who scored to win the game on the ensuing drive.[112]

The 2010 Patriots were the seventh-highest scoring team in NFL history; as a result, Meskó punted just 58 times, 26th in the league. Of those punts, 19 were downed inside the 20, while 5 were touchbacks. Meskó finished his rookie season with a

holder.[115]

At the end of the 2011 season, Meskó and the Patriots appeared in Super Bowl XLVI. He had three punts for 123 net yards (41.0 average), but the Patriots lost 21–17 to the New York Giants.[116]

2013 preseason

Meskó was fighting for the punter position with undrafted rookie Ryan Allen. Meskó did not survive the final cuts.[117] Bleacher Report stated that the reason for the cut was that if Meskó had stayed for his fourth year, he would have made $1.3 million, while Allen would only cost $405,000.[118]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On 2 September 2013, Meskó was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers active roster.[119] Meskó had grown up a Steelers fan although he lived in Cleveland and wore a Steelers jacket during his youth.[120] Meskó was released from the Steelers on 29 October 2013.[121] Meskó's punting had been statistically poor and he had some troubles on specific plays that upset Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Meskó was replaced by Mat McBriar.[122]

Cincinnati Bengals

On 31 December 2013, after a punt by

Washington Redskins in early 2014, but was not signed.[124]

Personal life

Meskó is of

United States Permanent Resident Card (green card) in the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery for the single child family to move to the United States.[125] The Meskós now have jobs that pay well.[6] The family spent the first year and half in New York City before moving to Ohio for better jobs.[12] Zoltán speaks Hungarian, Romanian, German and English and is conversant in Spanish. He learned to speak English by watching television.[25] He was schooled at a German school in Timișoara, which was then Romania's second-largest city. His parents taught him Hungarian and he spoke Romanian with his friends.[126]

Meskó completed a

St. Anthony of Padua.[129] In June 2013, he appeared on Barstool Sport's Bro Show, punting to the bloggers.[130]

Meskó married his wife Haley in 2014.[131]

After retiring from the NFL, Meskó started Exero Labs with business partner Ben Rizzo, a company that aims to create devices attached to football helmets to make the game safer.[132] They were featured on the NFL's technology startup competition "1st and Future" the weekend of Super Bowl LII.[133][134]

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