As a true freshman, Neidhardt was the coaches selection for Great Midwest Special Teams Player of the Year. Add in the fact he was a two-time conference special teams player of the week and the formula for a special sophomore campaign was already brewing.
Enter Neidhardt, who helped the Panthers control field possession with six booming punts to put a dent in the conference record books.
He averaged 47.7 yards per attempt (almost seven yards better than his single-season conference punting record a year ago), placed three inside the 20-yard line and had a pair of touchbacks.
Neidhardt’s longest punt of the evening was a 56-yard boot, impressive considering Tiffin’s David Orlando is now on record with the longest punt at 72 yards.
He also effectively became the single-game record holder for punt average in a game, passing Alderson Broaddus’ Grant Noon (46.4 avg vs. Saginaw Valley in 2017).