Former FIU punter joins Dolphins, gets warm welcome from new position rival
Former FIU punter Tommy Heatherly received quite a text message shortly after signing with the Dolphins this past weekend.
The text came from Thomas Morstead, one of the most accomplished punters in the NFL and the man Heatherly will have to beat out to reach his dream of playing in the NFL.
“Tommy, congrats,” the message began. “Here’s my number. Holler if you need anything. See you soon.”
Morstead, 36, was a fifth-round pick in 2009, by the Saints, and he won a Super Bowl that season with New Orleans. Three years later, he made the Pro Bowl.
“Not that I’m a fan boy, but I look up to this guy,” said Heatherly, 23. “I’ve never met him, but he reached out to me. That’s cool. I have a lot of respect for him. Now I get to compete against him and learn from him.
“I’ve watched Thomas since I was 13 years old. He and [ex-punter] Pat McAfee have been inspirations to me.”
Even so, Heatherly said it is setting up as an even fight for the Dolphins punting job.
“Thomas is almost 40 years old, and he is hitting almost the same ball I am,” Heatherly said. “It’s going to come down to who is more consistent, and who the kicker [Jason Sanders) prefers to be his holder.”
The notion of Weatherly signing a pro football contract would’ve been shocking to anyone who knew him just four years ago as a 5-11, 317-pound freshman at Northeast Oklahoma A&M.
Heatherly weighed 170 pounds in high school, but he admits he got complacent.
After working hard to get in shape at 226 pounds by the fall of 2018, Heatherly impressed enough to get a scholarship offer from FIU and former coach Butch Davis.
That was Weatherly’s only scholarship offer, and he accepted. Once he arrived at FIU, Weatherly’s weight ballooned again, this time up to 270.
“I was struggling with mental issues, being so far from home,” said Weatherly, a native of Grove, Oklahoma.
However, Heatherly lost the excess weight, and he became a three-year FIU starter. Last season, he ranked eighth in the nation in punting average (46.8).
THIS AND THAT
Two other ex-FIU players signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents after last weekend’s draft: running back D’vonte Price (Colts) and cornerback Josh Valentine-Turner (Seahawks). Quarterback Max Bortenschlager (Packers) and wide receiver Bryce
Singleton (Dolphins) have been given rookie tryouts.
“A lot of good players have come through here,” new
FIU coach Mike MacIntyre said. “This shows you can make your dreams come true at FIU.”
In NCAA Division II, the 48-team fields for the men’s and women’s tennis national tournaments have been selected. Top-seeded Barry will host the men’s and women’s South Regionals, starting Monday.
Barry’s men (16-5) have made it to the Division II final match 12 times, which is an NCAA record. Barry’s men have won five national titles (2010, 2013, 2015,
2019 and 2021).
Barry’s women (19-0) will get a first-round bye as they seek their seventh national title. Their previous wins were in: 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021).
Nova Southeastern University (16-3) is the secondseed in the South Region women’s tournament.