Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 39-14vs SE Louisiana | 1 | 50 | 50.0 | 50 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-28@ Tulane | 2 | 98 | 49.0 | 53 | 1 | |
| Total | 3 | 148 | 49.5 | 53 | 1 |
#40
Aleksi Pulkkinen
Senior punter for South Alabama. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 215 lb · Helsinki
Returning to South Alabama for 2026
The numbers
49.3
yards per punt · 2026
3 punts · long of 53 · 1 inside the 20
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 punts, 50 avg, vs SE Louisiana
Aleksi Pulkkinen
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane. He has spent three seasons at South Alabama. His first career honor landed in 2025: All-Sun Belt.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- recognition record
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
202512 games
- All-Sun Belt
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
South Alabama
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-SUN BELT
All-Sun Belt mention (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
South Alabama
Played his entire career under Major Applewhite.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Major Applewhite — 12-15 over that span.
2024South Alabama7-6HC: Major Applewhite · Balanced
2025South Alabama4-8HC: Major Applewhite · Run-heavy
2026South Alabama1-1HC: Major Applewhite · Run-heavy, fast tempo
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Not enough tracked stats yet to summarize this season.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Major Applewhite
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 39–14
vs SE Louisiana
1 NO · 50 YDS · 50 AVG
Dominant 25-point win at home against SE Louisiana.
With K. Phillips — 66 rush yds (13 car) · B. Davenport — 154 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · 23 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
South Alabama
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Punter · South Alabama
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -18 net (12 in / 30 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
South Alabama · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #107 · 2026 recruiting class #77
DNA match
Player DNA
Steady
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane.
P
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Bryce Lofton’s 2023 season.
Matches Bryce on
In-20 rate
Yards / punt
Class year
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Reed Harradine's sophomore season at Southern Miss (2025).
77%match
Matches Reed on
Yards / punt
In-20 rate
Height
Differs from Reed on
Class year (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Aleksi Pulkkinen
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology