It’s a saying football fans have heard coaches spout since the beginning of time, there are three phases of football: offense, defense and special teams. And while Syracuse football has fluctuated between good offenses and defenses the past decade or so, special teams has always remained arguably its best phase.

That legacy continued last month with the Atlanta Falcons selecting Sterling Hofrichter in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.

“You prepare yourself your whole life for that phone call. And until it actually happens, you don’t know. It’s a state of shock. You just can’t believe it. It’s like the team is taking a chance on you,” says the former SU punter. “(The team) is using a draft pick on you instead of waiting until free agency. So, it was an unbelieve experience and something I’ll never forget.”

Despite being one of the best punters in college football, the debate was whether Hofrichter would get drafted. Only two-to-three have the honor of getting selected each season. Braden Mann, of Texas A&M, was the first punter taken off the board by the New York Jets in the sixth round. As more and more selections went by, Sterling’s confidence in hearing his name called never waivered.

“We knew talking with Atlanta the most, they only had their first, second, two in the fourth (round) and then they didn’t have anything until the seventh. So, we knew that it was highly likely that I was going in the seventh round.”

Since leaving SU, Hofrichter has returned to Florida where he tries to stay in shape for the upcoming season. When he’s not getting his body right, the Falcons have kept him busy with meetings. Like the rest of us, sports have adapted to virtual meetings during the pandemic. While that might be stressful for some, Sterling harkens back to his first head coach at Syracuse, Scott Shafer.

“One saying I’ve always loved is what Coach Shafer taught me: control the controllables. There’s nothing I can do to go out there and stop the virus. So, I just have to keep doing what I can do right now and just be prepared for whenever the situation goes away.”

When things do return to normal Hofrichter says he’s ready for the challenge. Getting drafted by the Falcons instead of signing as an undrafted free agent means he’ll get his fair shake at making the team. The team is invested in Sterling Hofrichter, but it doesn’t guarantee his job.

“They’re always going to bring someone else in for competition. Whether it’s to see if they can beat you out, or to see if they can bump your game up, you can’t go to the NFL and just expect to keep your job. Personally, I’ve always loved competition. I’m actually really looking forward to compete against the best in the league.”

Sterling doesn’t have to look far for an example. His former teammate Riley Dixon experienced this same scenario last training camp with the New York Giants. The team brought in a punter to compete for the starting position. Dixon won the competition and went on to average a career best 46.1 yards per punt in 2019.

It’s success stories like this that make the Syracuse-fan made school moniker of “Punter U” an actual feather in the cap of the program. It’s something Hofrichter who was drafted 228^th overall (the exact same spot Dixon went four years earlier) takes pride in. Just like the rest of the players at SU who suit up for football’s third phase.

“Special teams is something that we (strive to succeed at) at SU. We just don’t want to be the best in the ACC, but we want to be the best in the country. It’s been a big emphasis from Coach Lustig and Coach Babers, because special teams really plays a huge role in the game.”