Texas Longhorns punter signs as UDFA with San Francisco 49ers

With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, many former Longhorns are moving on to the next chapter of their football lives. That includes punter Jack Bouwmeester, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. As Bouwmeester takes his talents to the West Coast, he will look to prove that he belongs in the NFL.

After starting his college career with Michigan State before transferring to Utah, Bouwmeester spent the 2025 campaign with the Longhorns. The Australian native made the most of his brief time in Austin, averaging 44.5 yards per punt. He also made life difficult for opponents, as 23 of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.

Although Bouwmeester went undrafted, he has been on the radar of some NFL teams for a while. He got a chance to work out in front of every NFL organization at Texas' pro day last month. He did enough then to be on the 49ers' radar, leading them to pull the trigger on bringing the former Longhorn into the mix.

For Bouwmeester, the focus will be to become the latest former Longhorn specialist to carve out a role in the NFL. In 2018, the Seahawks selected Michael Dickinson after he had a stellar run in Austin. Like Bouwmeester, he is also from  the Land Down Under.

Regardless of how his pro career plays out, Bouwmeester will be remembered for helping fix a Texas punting unit that had a disastrous 2024 campaign. They were ranked 103rd out of 134 FBS teams and averaged 40.8-yards per kick. That total increased by three yards with Bouwmeester getting most of the kicks for a team that entered the season ranked No.1 in the country.

When training camp starts, Bouwmeester will be a player to watch. He will have to battle for a roster spot, but he showed during his time in Austin that he has the potential to be a very good player and can make an impact when called upon.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas punter Jack Bouwmeester signs as UDFA with San Francisco 49ers