Position: P
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190
Hometown: Martinsville, Va
High School: The Carlisle School
Twitter: @JamesColeman5
Like most punters, James Coleman wasn't realistically going to earn a football scholarship. He was recruited as a walk-on by Virginia, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. He chose the Hoos over his childhood Tar Heels team, largely because of Mike London. Coleman was all-state at both punter and kicker as a senior, but he's in college solely as a punter.
Coleman doesn't necessarily have the strongest leg in the world. It's strong enough, evidenced by his 43 yard average as a HS senior. He's booted punts of well over 60 yards. What he really excels on is consistency. His worst punts and his best punts are going to be similar, which helps coverage teams.
Coleman's biggest impediment to getting on the field is junior punter Alex Vozenilek, who is the incumbent. Vozenilek was solid as the #1 punter last year, averaging over 40 yards per punt with just 4 touchbacks and 22 punts inside the 20 on 66 total punts. Coleman (and fellow RS Freshman Nicholas Conte) will get a chance in training camp to win the job, but it'll be a tall task. Vozenilek has 2 more years, and then Coleman will get a real shot to be the #1 punter.