STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Oscar Bradburn transitioned from Australian rules football to high-level college football three years ago as Virginia Tech's punter.
 
And Mitchell Wright — who had become close friends with Bradburn during their teenage years training together at the academy of the Australian Football League's Sydney Swans — became fascinated by the relocation to the other side of the world.

"I reached out to him and asked, 'How?'" said Wright, who originally had aspired to be a professional Australian rules football player. "It seemed like something that was very left of center to me. I didn't really see how it could happen."

Now, Bradburn is a two-time All-ACC honorable mention punter with the Hokies. And Wright has successfully followed his Aussie mate's path to NCAA success as Stony Brook's punter.

Wright averaged 39.87 yards per punt last year with the Seawolves, the fifth-longest single-season average in program history.

"At the time Mitch had reached out to me I was a freshman training for my debut season. He was really interested in what it took for me to get over to the U.S. and what my experiences had been at that point," Bradburn recalled. "Obviously, I had nothing but positive things to say about my time thus far at Virginia Tech. My belief is, after that moment, Mitch was sold on the idea."

Bradburn referred Wright to Nathan Chapman at Prokick Australia in order to learn the proper technique and attract attention from U.S. colleges. The group utilizes Australian football players' dexterity with their feet as a foundation to train them as American football punters and kickers.

Without hesitation, Wright drove 10 hours from Sydney to Melbourne for an assessment with Chapman, a former AFL player with Brisbane and Hawthorn, who had signed an NFL contract with the Green Bay Packers in 2004.

"We sat down for coffee after I kicked in front of them," Wright said. "They were like, 'Hey, we think you can get a scholarship to play college football. But it requires a lot. You've got to move here and train with us, and be prepared to move across the world.'

"Once that idea was in my head, I was always going to regret it if I didn't try. It sounded like an awesome challenge."

Said Bradburn: "And the rest was history. During my freshman season we'd bounce messages to each other quite a bit about our mutual experiences with punting. It's been remarkable seeing what both of our transitions have looked like from playing together in the Sydney Swans academy to now representing our native country in the highest levels of college football."


Wright playing Australian rules football with the Sydney Swans academy.

Wright had never even seen American football until that conversation about how to get to the United States. He began watching college football every Sunday morning with his father. (There's a 14-hour time difference between Wright's home in Sydney and the East Coast of the United States.)

Although the technique is different from college football, punting is the fundamental skill of Australian football. Wright possessed the requisite leg strength.

He had to adjust to the narrower ends of an American football, which meant less of a "sweet spot" to strike with his foot.

Training at Prokick Australia normally requires 12 to 14 months of full-time work before joining a college football program. In Wright's case, he already had been attending college at Macquarie University in Sydney, which unintentionally had started his NCAA eligibility clock. So he underwent accelerated training lasting roughly six months. He already had started conversations with Stony Brook special teams coach Tony Thompson and head coach Chuck Priore within four months of arriving at Prokick Australia.

"I didn't grow up playing it. I never really saw it at all as a kid," Wright said. "So I was learning the entire time. I still do learn little bits. I feel like I've got at least the special-teams rules all down at this point. I've definitely gotten a lot better with my spirals — traditional, pro-style punting. We've used that quite a bit as opposed to my rugby-style running around and kicking it."

Wright punts with both feet, a vestige of using both during his Australian football days. The skill presents an added challenge to opponents. Although a natural righty, his longest punt of last season came with his left foot — 62 yards against Bryant in the opener.

Wright has a network of Australian punters and kickers in the United States with whom he maintains contact to trade insights. He estimates 60 Aussies are currently members of NCAA teams across all divisions, about a third of which are involved in a group chat with him. Conference rival James Madison's punter, Harry O'Kelly, is a fellow Aussie.

Wright had been on track to graduate this December with a bachelor's degree in multidisciplinary studies, with focuses on chemistry and biology. He will extend his academic coursework through May in order to compensate for his redshirt senior season with the Seawolves moving to the spring.

He is considering attending medical school after his college football career's completion.

Wright remained in the United States throughout this summer because of travel uncertainty amidst the pandemic. He last was home in January.

"I've met lots of great people over here, and they look after me," Wright said. "It's like another family over here — 100 guys and the coaching staff."