Duke boots punter/kicker Austin Parker off its football team

Duke will face Northern Illinois in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26 at Detroit without one of its key special teams players.

Austin Parker, who handled punting and place-kicking duties for the Blue Devils this season, was dismissed from the team on Friday. The action came in response to Parker being suspended from Duke for violating the university’s academic policy.

While Parker can re-apply to school at Duke in the summer, he will not be allowed to return to the football team.

A redshirt sophomore from Mount Pleasant, Parker made 17 of 21 field goal attempts for the Blue Devils this season while also connecting on 33 of 35 extra points. The team’s punter in 2016 as a freshman, Parker took over the kicking duties this season after A.J. Reed’s 2016 performance that saw him make just 3 of 10 field goals.

Parker averaged 42.05 yards per punt this season, good for ninth in the ACC. As a freshman, his punting average was 40.95 yards.

Duke used freshman walk-on Jack Driggers to handle kickoffs this season. William Holmquist, a graduate transfer walk-on from Tufts, was Parker’s back-up at kicker. Holmquist attempted one extra point, which he made.

Holmquist is also an option to replace Parker as Duke’s punter. The Blue Devils will also consider senior Will Kline.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Duke boots punter/kicker Austin Parker off its football team."