AUBURN, Ala. – Arryn Siposs is not your typical draft prospect. He's 27 years old. He's already played at a professional level. And just three years ago, he was in Australia watching football on TV and dreaming of one day making the NFL.
Little did Siposs know then that he would be on the cusp of achieving that dream this week after serving as Auburn's punter the past two seasons – an experience he'll never forget.
"Obviously, I wanted to come over here and be successful and play on a team that was successful and do my part for the team," Siposs said. "Of everything I'd seen on TV, it's 10-times bigger when you come over here and get to experience it yourself. It's unbelievable. Being able to play in front of 90,000 fans every single week – they're either all cheering for you or they're all completely against you and giving you a hard time.
"I think I'll be better for it. I'm truly grateful and very thankful for the experience Auburn University gave me to come and play here for two years. Hopefully it leads to bigger and better things."
It might have been a surprise for some to see a punter leave school early, but at 27, Siposs felt it was time to make the move and take that next step. He also knows what he's getting himself into having played professionally in the Australian Football League for five seasons.
The hard part for Siposs was choosing to leave the Auburn community.
"They are some of the loveliest people that I've ever met," he said. "Their gratitude and just wanting to help you out as much as possible. It's somewhere that I'll definitely want to bring my kids back to and let them see for themselves and see what it was like living over here and showing that this was part of our journey, my wife's journey. It's a beautiful place and something we'll always remember. That's for sure."
It's only fitting that Siposs and his wife will watch the draft from their home in Auburn.
NFL Combine
40-yard dash: 5.09 seconds
Draft Analysis
"Australian punter with good size and is fairly consistent in striking the football, but his age and modest leg strength may work against him. Siposs doesn't lean on a heavy number of rugby punts and is able to generate adequate hangtime but needs to push the net punting average a little further while improving his touch inside the 50-yard line." – Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Signature Moment
Playing his first college game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was eye-opening for Siposs, but it was his last game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the 2019 Iron Bowl, that will forever stand as his top memory from playing at Auburn. The Tigers won a thrilling back-and-forth contest against in-state rival Alabama, and Siposs more than did his part averaging 49.0 yards on his two punts and putting them both inside the 20-yard line.
"That was unbelievable," Siposs said. "The game itself being high scoring. The ebbs and flows of the game, it was changing all the time. One minute we were up and 17 seconds later, they were winning. It was a crazy experience but being able to come out on top in that game and beating your biggest rival in college football, that's an experience that I'll never forget."