Australia’s Hamish Macinnes Becoming A Big Name in America

In Australia, football may not be an extremely big deal. However, for Australia-native, Hamish MacInnes, that’s a different story. MacInnes came to the United States two years ago on a football scholarship from Jacksonville State University. The first American football game for MacInnes caught him off guard. “I didn’t really know what to expect,” said MacInnes, who finished his freshman year at Jacksonville State with a 39.3 yard per punt average. One year later, MacInnes began to find himself with the Gamecocks. A solid sophomore season put his name with some of the top punters in all of college football. Despite a sophomore performance in which he averaged 42.9 yards per punt, there was more potential there for MacInnes.

Austrailia-native, Hamish MacInnes punts for
Jacksonville State against the Florida Gators.
PHOTO COURTESY: Gamecock Nation Extra

Just months following his sophomore season for the Gamecocks, fellow teammate and long-snapper Andrew Dean introduced MacInnes to the name One on One Kicking and their founder, Mike McCabe.

“I heard nothing but good things about Coach McCabe and I knew he had a lot of guys going into the pros and good players at that. It’s all about going to the pros so I thought it’d be good to work with him, they’re great coaches. What I like most about Coach McCabe is that he points out little things rather than trying to change the whole thing, the small things make a big difference,” said MacInnes on McCabe’s instruction.

In just the first few months of One on One’s working with MacInnes, he says he has changed his mindset through working with them. “I am a lot more focused on the details and the technique, before I was just going out and hitting a lot of balls and not really getting good results. Now, I’m looking at quality and getting the technique down pat. I picked up on the professionalism of the guys who are going to the next level and the things that they need to do to get there.”

After the big step taken last year, MacInnes is just looking to improve and get better each year, which One on One is helping him with daily. “On a daily basis I make sure I’m working on technique drills and things like that. I try to kick every other day if I’m feeling good, I do drill work for 20 or 30 minutes, then spend another 30 minutes punting balls then a nice cool down stretch. I’m keeping fit as well but not overdoing it; I’m not going out to hit 100 balls a day or lifting any heavy weights.”

Aside from the work on the field, MacInnes says One on One Kicking has helped him with several other things as well, “It has opened my eyes up to the challenges there are to make it to the pros. I have realized that you don’t just graduate from college and jump to the pros, you need to dedicate time and work hard at it. Things don’t go your way sometimes, but it’s not the end of the world, you can always get another opportunity.”

MacInnes’ second-season in America truly opened a lot of eyes regarding his ability and potential coming from overseas. A 42.9 yard per punt after during his sophomore season turned heads and immediately led to his name being brought up as one of the top punters in the country.

“It’s nice to know that people treat you with that recognition,” MacInnes said, “But it’s not going to get to my head. People talk, but I’m going to let my work on the field do the talking.”

The sophomore season which raised several eyebrows was highlighted by an 86-yard punt against Tennessee Tech which set a Jacksonville State school record. “I didn’t read into it much but I guess it was a school record, the wind was blowing my way and I got a good bounce,” MacInnes said with a laugh.

Talent from Australia is hard to translate to American football without the right work ethic, but with help from One on One Kicking and the right amount of dedication and ability, anything is possible. Hamish MacInnes is becoming a top name in punting as an upcoming junior at Jacksonville State. Hamish’s story is just another instance of why One on One Kicking is the best training facility for kickers and punters in the country.