Arkansas · SECMulcahy makes Arkansas prepare for long fields
The North Alabama freshman averaged 46.5 yards per punt and pinned Samford deep in a 22-10 win.
SEP 3, 2026
The Pate State · Editorial IllustrationAfter freshman punter Charles Mulcahy pinned Samford at its 14- and 3-yard lines in North Alabama’s 22-10 season-opening win, Arkansas is practicing backed-up offense ahead of the Lions’ visit Saturday, Sept. 5, at 4:15 p.m. ET.
“I was like, ‘who the hell is this punter?’” Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield said after watching Mulcahy’s six-punt, 279-yard performance.
The freshman averaged 46.5 yards per punt, hit a 66-yard long and dropped two punts inside the 20-yard line. North Alabama’s placement could force Arkansas to drive the length of the field repeatedly and keep the Lions close enough to threaten an upset against a Razorbacks team that finished 2-10 last season.
“We work some backed up situations and how we handle it if we do start with the ball in the two-yard line,” Silverfield said. Arkansas also has practiced for punts sailing over returners or landing short instead of arriving in a routine return window.
Mulcahy took over for Adam Watford, a 2025 FCS All-American who transferred to Alabama. North Alabama assistant athletic director Benjamin Ray said the freshman is continuing a program tradition.
“UNA has a long line of great punters,” Ray said.
01 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The hidden comparison sits between North Alabama’s old punter and its new one. Adam Watford ranked fifth nationally at 46.6 yards per punt in 2025 before transferring to Alabama; Mulcahy opened his college career at 46.5, one-tenth of a yard behind that season average. Three of his six punts left Samford at its 26-, 14- and 3-yard lines, while another produced a touchback. That range makes the assignment about more than retreating for a 66-yarder: Arkansas has to judge balls that can finish in sharply different places.
The calendar magnifies the opener. Arkansas goes to Utah on Sept. 12 and hosts Georgia, No. 1 in Josh Pate’s preseason bracket, on Sept. 19. North Alabama is the lone game before that two-game turn, shrinking the Razorbacks’ runway to stabilize an offense coming off a 2-10 season.
02 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Who will return punts for Arkansas against North Alabama?
Arkansas has not named the player who will handle Mulcahy’s punts, and the job carries more than routine catch security against a punter whose Samford tape included a 66-yarder, a touchback and placements at the 26, 14 and 3. The first return alignment Saturday, Sept. 5, and the returner’s decisions on Mulcahy’s early punts will show how Silverfield’s preparation translates into field position.