Matthew Bosher (born October 18, 1987) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

punter who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the sixth round of the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

. He played college football at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

High school career

Bosher played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Jupiter High School in

Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...

. While playing for the Jupiter High School Warriors, he was one of the top placekickers in the country. He was rated as the best placekicker in the country by

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

, the third best by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

, and the sixth best by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

. In addition to his ranking accolades, he was chosen as the best kicker in the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

on the ''

Florida Times-Union ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...

'' Super 75.

College career

Bosher played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010 under head coach Randy Shannon. He was the team's starting punter for four years, punting for 9,778 yards for the Hurricanes. He was the team's starting placekicker from 2008 to 2010. In four years at the University of Miami, Bosher scored 262 points. He converted 127-of-130 extra point attempts and 45-of-53 field goal attempts in his college career. He was a first-team All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

player.

2007 season

As a true freshman at the University of Miami, Bosher appeared in all 12 games in the 2007 season. He punted a season-high 10 times for 408 total yards in the second game of the season against

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. Against

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

in the 11th game of the season, Bosher punted six times for 310 yards, which was a season-high 51.7 yard average. Overall, in the 2007 season, Bosher punted 58 times for 2,329 yards for a 40.2 average.

2008 season

As a sophomore at the University of Miami, Bosher appeared in all 13 games in the 2008 season. He served as the placekicker and punter for team for the first time in his collegiate career. In two games in the 2008 season, which were against

Charleston Southern Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private Baptist university in North Charleston, South Carolina. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention ( Southern Baptist Convention). History Charleston Southern University was ch ...

and

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, Bosher attempted and converted all seven extra point tries. He punted a season-high 11 times for 410 total yards in the sixth game of the season against

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...

. Against

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

in the 12th game of the season, Bosher punted four times for 195 yards, which was a season-high 48.8 yard average. Against the

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

in the fifth game of the season, Bosher rushed nine yards on a fake punt for a first down. Overall, in the 2008 season, Bosher converted all 40 extra point attempts and 18-of-20 field goal attempts to go along with punting 67 times for 2,638 yards for a 40.0 average.

2009 season

As a junior at the University of Miami, Bosher appeared in all 13 games in the 2009 season. For the second straight season, he would serve as the placekicker and the punter. Against the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the ninth game of the season, Bosher would tie a career-high seven made extra point attempts. Against Clemson in the seventh game of the season, he would tie a career high three field goals attempted and made. He punted a season-high nine times for 387 total yards in the eighth game of the season against Wake Forest. Against

Florida A&M Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...

in the fifth game of the season, Bosher punted for a season-high 47.5 yard average. Against

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, Bosher rushed 26 yards a successful fake punt. Overall, in the 2009 season, Bosher converted all 50 extra point attempts and was 14-of-16 on field goal attempts to go along with Bosher punting 51 times for 2,169 yards for a 42.5 average.

2010 season

As a senior at the University of Miami, Bosher appeared in all 13 games in the 2010 season. He served as the placekicker and punter for team for the third straight season. He punted a season-high ten times for 463 total yards in the fourth game of the season against Clemson. Against

in the eighth game of the season, Bosher punted four times for 231 total yards, which was a career-high 57.8 yard average. In his final collegiate game, which was the 2010 Sun Bowl against Notre Dame, he punted four times for 163 yards. Overall, in the 2010 season, Bosher converted 37-of-40 extra point tries and 13-of-17 field goal attempts to go along with punting 59 times for 2,597 yards for a 44.0 average.

Professional career

Bosher was selected by the

in the sixth round (192nd overall) of the

. He was signed by the team on July 28.

2011 season: Rookie year

As a rookie with the Atlanta Falcons, Bosher appeared in all 16 regular season games and their one playoff game as the punter. In the season opener, he made his NFL debut against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...

. In the 30–12 loss to the Bears, he had five punts for 192 yards. In Week 9, against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Lucas Oil Stadium Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the National Football League (NFL)'s Indianapolis Colts and opened on August 16, 2008. The stadium was ...

, he set a season high for yardage with 321 on seven punts. On Sunday, December 11, 2011, in

Week 14 A week is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for short cycles of days in most parts of the world. The days are often used to indicate common work days and rest days, as well as days of worship. Weeks are oft ...

, with averages of 47.8 yards (gross) and 46.0 (net) on six punts against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

, "

Stats & Information" selected Bosher as the punter of the day in the NFL. In Week 15, against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

at the

Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome was a domed stadium in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west, it was owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center ...

, he set a season-high for yards per punt with 51.00, which came from four punts for 204 yards, in the 41–14 home victory. He was named to the All-Rookie Team. On January 8, 2012, Bosher made his playoff debut in the Falcons' 24–2 loss to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in the Wild Card Round. He had seven punts for 322 yards in the loss at

MetLife Stadium MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home for the New York Giants an ...

. Overall, in his rookie regular season, Bosher had 70 punts for 2,990 yards, which was an average of 42.71 yards per punt.

2012 season

In his second season with the Atlanta Falcons, Bosher appeared in all 16 regular season games and their two playoff games. In Week 13, against their

NFC South The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when ...

division rival

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

at the Georgia Dome, Bosher had six punts for a season-high 319 yards. In the same game, he set his season high for yards per punt with 53.17. In the regular season finale, in a home game against division rival

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

, Bosher had his second game with over 300 net yards with 305 yards on six punts. The Falcons would make a return trip to the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

in the 2012 season. In a home game against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

in the Divisional Round, Bosher had two punts for 84 yards in the 30–28 victory. In a home game against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in the

NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

, Bosher had two punts for 90 yards in the 28–24 defeat. Overall, in the 2012 regular season, Bosher had 60 punts for 2,847 yards for a 47.45 average to go along with four punts for 174 yards in the playoffs for a 43.5 average.

2013 season

In the 2013 season, Bosher appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Falcons. In Week 2, against the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

, Bosher had six punts for a season-high 318 yards. In a 2012 Divisional Round rematch against the

in Week 10, he had a season high 53.40 yards per punt from five punts for 267 yards. Against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

in Week 13, he had a season-high seven punts for 278 yards. Overall, in the 2013 regular season, Bosher had 68 punts for 3,166 yards for a 46.56 average.

2014 season

In the 2014 season, Bosher appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Falcons. In Week 11, against their divisional rival

, Bosher had a season-high seven punts for a season-high 344 yards. Against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

in Week 13, he had a season-high 53.00 yards per punt average from three punts for 159 yards. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 16 against the

. He had five punts for 221 net yards for a 44.2 average. All of the punts pinned the Saints deep in their own territory. Overall, in the 2014 regular season, Bosher had 67 punts for 3,063 yards for a 45.72 average.

2015 season

In the 2015 season, Bosher appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Falcons. In the season opener against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, Bosher had a season-high 57.75 yards per punt average from four punts for 231 yards. In Week 8, against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, Bosher did not attempt one punt in the game for the first time in his NFL career. In Week 9, against the

, Bosher had a season-high seven punts for a season-high 304 yards. Overall, in the 2015 regular season, Bosher had 58 punts for 2,735 yards for a 47.16 average.

2016 season

In the 2016 season, Bosher appeared in all 16 regular season games and all three playoff games for the Falcons. In Week 5 against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, Bosher had a season-high 61.67 average yards per punt, which came from three punts for 185 yards. In Week 10 against the

, Bosher injured his hamstring.

Matt Bryant Steven Matt Bryant (born May 29, 1975), nicknamed "Money Matt", is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000. A ...

, the team's normal placekicker, had to finish the game with punting responsibilities. In Week 14 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

, Bosher had a season-high eight punts for a season-high 415 net yards, which equated to a 51.88 average. The Falcons would return to the

for the first time since the 2012 season. Against the

in the Divisional Round, Bosher had three punts for 133 yards in the 36–20 victory. Against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

in the

, Bosher had two punts for 77 yards in the 44–21 victory. Against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confer ...

NRG Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Bosher had six punts for 282 yards in the 34–28 defeat in overtime. Overall, in the 2016 regular season, Bosher had 44 punts for 2,060 yards for a 46.82 average to go along with 11 punts for 492 yards in the playoffs for a 44.73 average.

2017 season

In the 2017 season, Bosher appeared in all 16 regular season games and two playoff games for the Falcons. In the season opener against the

, he had three punts for 178 net yards for a season-high 59.33 average. On Christmas Eve, against the

, he had a season-high five punts for a season-high 234 net yards for a 46.80 average. Overall, in the 2017 season, he finished with 53 punts for 2,379 net yards for a 44.89 average. The Falcons finished the season with a 10–6 record and made the playoffs. In the Wild Card Round against the

, he had five punts for 258 net yards for a 51.60 average in the 26–13 victory. In the Divisional Round against the eventual

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...

champion

, he had six punts for 203 net yards for a 33.83 average in the 15–10 loss.

2018 season

In the 2018 season, Bosher appeared in all 16 games and recorded 60 punts for 2,729 net yards for a 45.48 average.

2019 season

On October 5, 2019, Bosher was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. He was designated for return from injured reserve on November 20, 2019, and began practicing with the team again. On December 2, 2019, Bosher was activated from injured reserve. He was placed back on injured reserve on December 7, 2019, after aggravating the groin injury. Bosher appeared in three games in the 2019 season. After becoming a free agent in March 2020, Bosher had a tryout with the

on August 18, 2020. On November 5, 2021, the

hosted Bosher for a workout.

References

External links

*
Miami Hurricanes bioTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosher, Matt 1987 births Living people American football placekickers American football punters Atlanta Falcons players Miami Hurricanes football players People from Greenacres, Florida Players of American football from Florida Sportspeople from the Miami metropolitan area