Cole Leininger: P · California · #16.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
California’s specialists
Cole Leininger
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane. Arrived as a two-star recruit; two seasons of production at California since.
Play style
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane.
Punter archetype · season enumeration
Leg vs placement
41.2 gross, but 0 of 37 inside the 20 (0.0%) — a flipper. flipper
Net average is unavailable — no per-punt return-yardage linkage exists in the source data.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Sports Illustrated Oct 29Game log · Week-by-week
2015 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 73-14vs Grambling | 3 | 126 | 42.0 | 54 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-7vs San Diego State | 6 | 239 | 39.8 | 46 | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 30-24@ Washington | 3 | 114 | 38.0 | 44 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 34-28vs Washington State | 3 | 141 | 47.0 | 60 | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 24-30@ No. 5 Utah | 2 | 86 | 43.0 | 51 | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-40@ UCLA | 4 | 172 | 43.0 | 49 | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-27vs USC | 3 | 146 | 48.7 | 59 | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 28-44@ Oregon | 5 | 213 | 42.6 | 53 | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 54-24vs Oregon State | 1 | 38 | 38.0 | 38 | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 22-35@ No. 15 Stanford | 2 | 78 | 39.0 | 42 | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 48-46vs Arizona State | 3 | 100 | 33.3 | 49 | 0 | |
 Bowl | W 55-36vs Air Force | 2 | 73 | 36.5 | 39 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 1526 | 41.2 | 60 | 0 |
Season context: team record and system
2 seasons under Sonny Dykes, all pass-leaning, fast tempo offenses — 13-12 over that span.
Punter profile · Distance and placement
Where his punts land, not just how far
Inside the 20
0%0 of 37Touchback rate
0%0 of 37Yards / punt
41.237 puntsLong
60yards41.2 yards/punt on 37 punts · 0% placed inside the 20.
California carries three punters; Leininger has taken 37 of the 40.
How it ended
Two seasons at California — the college career is complete.
Coaching lineage · 2012–2015
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jeff Tedford → Sonny Dykes. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
