Kai Kroeger

* 2023-24  H. Boyd McWhorter Award Nominee

* 2023 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

* 2023 co-The President’s Outstanding Student-Athlete Award

* 2022 First-Team All-America (ESPN.com, The Athletic)

* 2022 Second-Team All-America (Walter Camp, AFCA)

* 2022 Fourth-Team All-America (Phil Steele)

* 2022 First-Team All-SEC (AP, Coaches, USA Today, Phil Steele)

* 2022 Second-Team All-SEC (ProFootballFocus)

* 2022 Jim Carlen Award – MVP Special Teams

* 2022 Nutrition Award

* 2022 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

* 2021 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

* 2020 SEC Coaches’ All-Freshman Team

* 2020-21 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

One of the top punters in school history returns for his fifth season with the Gamecocks… has served as the starting punter since his arrival on campus in 2020… earned All-SEC and All-America honors in 2022… averaging 43.9 yards per punt, second in school history, on 218 career punts over 48 games… also considered one of the nation’s top holders… has completed 7-of-8 passes for 205 yards with three touchdowns, a 426.5 career quarterback rating… was South Carolina’s male nominee for the SEC’s H. Boyd McWhorter Award.

2023 (Senior)

Served as the Gamecocks’ punter and holder…averaged 43.2 yards on 62 punts… posted a net average of 41.3 yards… placed 22 of the 62 punts inside the 20-yard line (35.5 pct.) with just four touchbacks… logged nine punts of 50 yards or more… opponents returned just 11 punts for 41 yards, a 3.7-yard average… boomed a long punt of 60 yards against North Carolina while averaging 48.4 yards on five punts in the season opener… matched his career high with eight punts against both Kentucky and Clemson… completed 1-of-2 passes during the season for 32 yards… named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor roll… presented with a share of the President’s Outstanding Student-Athlete Award along with Tyreek Johnson at the Garnet & Black Spring Game.

2022 (Junior)

Turned in arguably the best seasons by a punter in school history… named a First-Team All-American by ESPN.com and The Athletic… was a second-team All-American according to Walter Camp and AFCA and a fourth-teamer according to Phil Steele… named first-team All-SEC by the AP, the SEC coaches, Phil Steele and USA TODAY… awarded the Jim Carlen Special Teams MVP Award and the Nutrition Award… one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award… listed on “Ray’s 8” six times during the season and was the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week following the Georgia State game… one of four finalists for the Mortell Award, which recognizes the nation’s top holder… named the SEC co-Special Teams Player of the Week following the Vanderbilt game and was the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance at Clemson… averaged 46.1 yards per punt, the best mark in the SEC, fifth in the country and the second-best single-season mark in school history… 18 of his 58 punts traveled 50 or more yards, including a season-long 79-yarder, the fourth-longest in FBS… 29 punts (50 pct.) pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line… completed all four of his pass attempts, two on fake punts (vs. Georgia and at Florida) and two on fake field goals (vs. Vanderbilt and vs Notre Dame)… threw for 107 yards and two TDs, logging a passing efficiency rating of 489.7.. appeared on “Ray’s 8” Iist for his performance against Georgia State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Florida… averaged 49.1-yards on seven punts with a long of 79 in the season-opener against Georgia State, earning Ray Guy National Punter of the Week accolades… averaged 53.6-yards with a long of 69 yards on five punts at Vanderbilt… threw a 48-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt at Florida… saved his best game for last when he averaged 53.7 yards on seven punts at Clemson, with three inside the five-yard line… threw a 23-yard touchdown pass in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Notre Dame… named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

2021 (Sophomore)

Averaged 42.9 yards on 59 punts… ranked 10th in the SEC in punting average… logged 14 punts of 50-plus yards with 23 fair catches, 23 inside the 20 and just two touchbacks… boomed a pair of punts that traveled 70-plus yards including a career-long 73-yarder at Texas A&M… also had a 70-yarder against Vanderbilt… is the only Carolina punter to have two 70-yard punts since 1984… named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week and Ray Guy National Punter of the Week for his efforts against Vanderbilt when he averaged 56.8 yards on four punts… listed on “Ray’s 8” list for his efforts against Kentucky when he placed four of five punts inside the 20… threw a 44-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt at Tennessee… named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

2020 (Freshman)

True freshman who enrolled in August and won the starting punting duties in fall camp… also served as the holder on placements… named to the SEC Coaches’ All-Freshman team after averaging 43.3-yards per punt… boomed 39 punts for 1,690 yards with a long of 53… totaled seven punts of 50-plus yards and placed eight inside the 20 with just two touchbacks… ranked eighth in the SEC in punting average… got off to a slow start, with his first 10 punts over two games averaging just 37.8 yards… averaged 45.2 yards the rest of the season…   averaged a single-game best 48.5 yards on two punts in the rain at Vanderbilt… boomed five punts for 242 yards (48.4 avg.) including a season-best 53-yarder, with three balls spotted inside the 20 in the win over Auburn, earning him SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors… averaged 44.5 yards on two punts against Texas A&M, then averaged 44.7 yards on a season-high seven punts against Missouri… averaged 46.0 yards on four punts, including a 52-yarder, against Georgia… completed his lone pass of the season, a 22-yarder to Dakereon Joyner on a fake punt for a first down at Kentucky… named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

HIGH SCHOOL

Graduated from Lake Forest (Ill.) High School in 2020… helped lead the Scouts to a 7-5 record and a spot in the 2019 state quarterfinals… named to the 2019 IHSFCA honorable mention 6A all-state team… averaged over 40 yards per punt as a junior… selected for all-conference honors and earned a spot on the News-Sun and Pioneer Press all-area teams in 2018… named the North Suburban Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 2018… coached by Chuck Spagnoli… considered the 41st-best prospect in Illinois and the third-best punter in the country according to the 247Sports Composite rankings… is the top-ranked player at his position in the country according to Kohl’s Kicking.

PERSONAL

Kai Martin Kroeger was born June 11, 2002… graduated in May of 2024 with a major in history and a minor in criminal justice… working on his Master’s in coaching education… interested in a career with the Secret Service… represented football on SAAC in 2022-23 and in 2023-24, and is South Carolina’s representative on the SEC Football Leadership Council.