Joseph Charlton had to wait, but now the former Gamecock has NFL shot close to home
Joseph Charlton was the rare punter to get a scholarship out of high school, when Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina football staff brought him on from A.C. Flora in 2015.
The prolific punter had to wait a long time for his NFL shot, but now he’ll get it with the Carolina Panthers.
Charlton tweeted out the news Wednesday afternoon. He went unpicked in the NFL draft and curiously was not signed by anyone for the months that followed.
He made his mark in Columbia with a booming leg, starting three seasons for Will Muschamp’s squad.
Charlton’s career average of 45.5 yards per punt is a school record, and he was at 47.7 in 2019. He was part of a punting unit that ranked 10th in net yards last season. At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, he’s an unusually tall punter.
He redshirted his first year and spent his second year as a reserve behind Sean Kelly. Even in the bowl game his redshirt freshman year, Michael Almond got the nod instead of Charlton when Kelly was hurt.
The only punter listed on the official Panthers roster is Michael Palardy, last season’s starter. The 27-year-old out of Tennessee averaged 46 yards per punt last season.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 12:08 PM.
