#UNC punter Tom Maginness

Michael, you know, Tom Michael.com,

you know how much coach Belich

appreciates somebody's special teams.

When you were first getting interested

in playing American football over here

in the States, did you ever think that

it would you would be playing for coach?

Oh,

of course not. Um, it's pretty surreal.

You know, I think I'm not the only one

who pretty shell shocked when he first

walked in the door, but um, he's such a

good coach. He's such a football mind

and he just thinks of absolutely

everything. Stuff that I don't even

think of, you know. Um, so yeah, he's

been really great to have around. Yeah.

What What's been one of those just

pointers that he's given you that you

would not have thought of?

Just like more even like things on like

returns like he knows like the like the

shape of a good punt, the shape of a

shank. Like he knows where to put

returners. You know, we bring a rush.

Um, if he thinks to right foot a return,

he's going to shank the ball. He's going

to put a guy on the left. like if he's

gonna hit a good turnover, the ball's

going to go to the right. It's just like

stuff like that. It's just crazy how,

you know, he's got so much to worry

about on other phases, but he's, you

know, just thinks of everything. It's

really cool.

Grant, hey, uh,

so I know coach mentioned um about your

rugby pl your style of punting. What

were what was the challenges of

transitioning from doing rugby punting

to doing more conventional, you know,

football?

Yeah. Well, where I trained at ProKick

Australia, they taught us everything.

Um, you know, I really pride myself on

my spiral, my conventional, and I'd love

to show that off a bit more. Um, and

it's I think it's such a good weapon. If

you're if you're really good at both of

those things, it really, you know, puts

off the the other team, you know. Um,

they don't know if you're rolling right,

they don't know if you're spiraling

left. So, if I can show at practice and

show in games, I can do both, you know,

I know I'm a really valuable weapon on

the team.

Jeremiah.

Yeah. Uh to go off of that a little bit,

uh obviously Bill was just telling us

that he kind of didn't even embrace the,

you know, style of punt. He feels that

that's a strength of yours and he feels

like you were better in that style um of

punt. What do you remember about some of

those? You mentioned some of the things

that he kind of knows about picking, but

what do you remember about specifically

those conversations of, you know, we

want to keep that style punt? What do

you kind of remember about those? Yeah,

he just wants the best out of me. He

wants the best out of all the players.

And he, you know, we talked and I said,

you know, I'm really valuable as a roll

out guy and, you know, if that's if he

finds that one of my biggest strengths,

he's going to, you know, set up the

formation to allow me to do that. So,

yeah.

Let's go to Shelby.

Shelby from the News Observer. I'm

curious, you know, there's videos out

there, for instance, of Belche giving a

10-minute long answer about the history

of long snap attack kind of thing. Have

you ever had a moment like that with him

where he's just we don't hop on about

this one tiny details?

Oh, he probably has. Um I can't remember

off the top of my head, but yeah, like

like I said, he's just such a big

football mind. Just so impressive how,

you know, he's really good at

simplifying the complex things of

football. For an idiot like me who

doesn't know anything about football, it

makes sense for me. So yeah, that's

that's most important. So

that's good. No idea.

No, what's stop talking about 24/7? I'm

curious for you when you when you first

got here and then now. Is there was

there a culture shock? Like how has it

been getting acclimated in the United

States from from your previous home back

in Australia?

Yeah, it's a lot different. Um it's

cool. We've got Jacob Horvath, the new

Aussie partner. So when I'm sick of the

American language, I like to talk to him

cuz you know we can share the Australian

things. But no, America's awesome. I

love it. Um yeah, it is very similar to

Australia. I can't think of much

difference, but like the sport of

college football is so different. like

there's nothing like this back home and

you know 10 you know 10 11 games left

and I'm done here. So I got to really

enjoy it and that's been my mindset this

year is just go out there have fun be

confident um you know this doesn't last

forever in a few months I'll be in an

office back home so I got to you know

really enjoy it.

Let's go to Brian there's I'm sure

you've seen some of the videos about you

know same American pumping from all the

Australians that are coming over. Why

why is it such a big thing in Australia?

Why have so many Australians been able

to come over here and really contribute

in the kicking game across all levels?

Yeah. Well, I guess, you know, we do all

the rugby stuff a lot better over here.

And, you know, we grow up kicking the

footy. You know, Americans grow up

throwing it. So, you know, I've been

kicking the ball since I was, you know,

2 or 3 years old. So, it's a lot easier

to transition to this sport, you know,

and do that. For sure.

Andrew,

so how often did you do here before and

now that you're doing it pretty much

exclusively. What are some of the things

about it that makes it work better for

you as opposed to being more?

Yeah. Like growing up playing AFL,

that's all you do. You, you know, you

have to kick it to pass the ball. So,

um, I learned from that and it's an easy

skill to transition into this. Um, I

think directionally it's definitely a a

benefit for me. I feel like I control

the direction a lot better with the roll

out. Um, Coach Prier who's awesome, he

talks about like extra hang time. You

know, if I rolling right, that's an

extra, you know, second that allows my

gunners to get down and field the ball.

Um, so it's just little things like

that.

It's a little bit more challenging to

get people think of play spiral in

there. I couple your plays in the back

where I never end, but it didn't look

like the hang time was any different. Is

it a little bit more of a challenge to

get that spiral or does it spiral not

matter the way that you did? Yeah, like

with the extra hang time you get from,

you know, rolling out, it sort of

cancels itself out. Um, but yeah, I

think I I really pride myself on how

much I've worked in the summer strength

and technique wise. I'm definitely

getting the best hang time I've got this

year than the last couple seasons. I'd

like to keep going that even higher.

Yeah,

it's going to happen.

Tom, along those very lines, coming out

of last season, what did you want to try

to improve on and work on over the off

season? I know the numbers, uh, you

know, in terms of the averages and

things like that wasn't where you guys

wanted them. I think they were pretty

low in the ACC. Like, just what was your

focus on the off in the offseason? And

when you got Mike Kryer here and guys

like that, did that how did they sort of

affect or change where your focus might

be?

Yeah, like coach Bich and coach Pri are

really wanted to get the best out of me

in terms of like scheme and um showing

off my skills and I've really

like happy with what PR is doing. He's

really good at adapting to you know

changes like challenges we face in the

game. He's really flexible. who have

changed a few um things on the formation

just so I can keep doing my you know

proper routine, my proper steps and you

know that's allowing me to kick the ball

further and higher than I have in the

last few years for sure.

Tom Tom, we talked to you I guess a

couple years ago and it was all new to

you

and now this year

it's all it's mostly new in that room

and now you're the vet. That kind of

Yeah, it's pretty cool. You know, we've

got it's definitely the smallest room

I've been a part of. you know, we got

me, Spence, Ree, you know, the senior

guys. Then we've got Gana, Ganon, and

Jake. Um, you know, the younger guys,

but yeah, we're really close. We're

really good. All of us at what we do.

Um, and yeah, it's, you know, got to

enjoy it. My my beautiful fiance lands

tomorrow. We end our 3 years long

distance tomorrow, which is, you know,

crazy. Um, it's just like stuff like

that. I just got to soak it up. You

know, a couple months it'll be the end

and, you know, wherever it takes me, it

takes me. But, you know, I'm just going

to give everything to Carolina cuz I've

given everything to me. It's been a

really good three years and yeah, I'd

love to, you know, have a great year to

finish off my last season here for sure.

Sure.

Just um another quick follow. I'm

curious if there's something you've kind

of known this already, but anything else

that stands out about maybe the way that

Belch coaches you as a head coach versus

maybe what you've experienced?

Yeah, he just like I said, he's just he

just thinks of everything. Um,

practice is set up harder than it is in

the game, which is a good thing. You

know, you know, practice, you know, they

give you the hardest looks, you know,

the the best rushes. So, I know that

when I can go out on Saturday, you know,

I see a five, sixman rush, I know what I

got to do. Um, just stuff like that. He

thinks of every situation. So I know um

when I go out there on Saturday, I know

I've faced everything that I'm going to

face. So it's not it's not a surprise.

Andrew, it actually Tommy actually

reminded me when we first talked to you

didn't know much about football. You

were going to watch it and learn how

well you know the game now. Do you watch

other games on TV? And if you do, is it

more than just a bug? You think why are

they in that kind of

Ah, I'm not much better to be honest. I

try and keep it very simple. Um, I just

try and, you know, think about what I

got to do. Even like in the games on

Saturday, I I don't watch it. I just,

you know, me and Spenc are off the side

snapping and, you know, obviously I'm

watching where the ball is. You know, I

need to know if I need a punt or, you

know, if we get a big drive and we're in

plus 50, you know, we might be field

goal, we might be punting, stuff like

that. I watch for, but I just, you know,

I've got 100 other mates at other

schools. I like to watch them and cheer

them on. And in terms of, you know, the

rules and stuff, um, if it's not related

to punting or field goal, then I'm I'm

out. I don't I don't know much. So,

yeah.

Tom, I just want to follow up to to your

fiance. You have three years. Has never

been here. You haven't seen her in 3

years?

Uh, yeah, we've seen each other. It's

more uh she's here for the rest of the

season, then we'll fly home together.

Um, yeah, she's been awesome. Just

sticking by and we've been together for

six years this year. I proposed last

year. So, um, yeah, I love having her

here and she loves the games and, you

know, she loves everything about this

school as well. And yeah, it's going to

be great last few games together and

yeah, it's awesome.

What's her name?

Claudia with a K.

Claudia with a K.

Yes.

What's the go-to restaurant for you?

Al's Burgers is awesome.

Um,

good.

Good. Yeah, great burgers. That's not an

I deal. I'll get in trouble if I say it.

It's not NIL. Um

there's a lot of good places around you.

If I'm feeling Ruth and Chris, I'm

feeling fancy. So

yeah, you tell me last one.

Yeah. Um and obviously you talking about

just how it changes in detail, Coach

Belich. I'm curious maybe you've talked

maybe Richard maybe about um like

Australian culture or things.

I don't think so.

Um it's a good question. Um, I'll have

to think about it. I don't think No, no,

nothing. Yeah, nothing for you. Sorry.

All right. Good stuff.