Photo by: Mike McLaughlin
Cameron Nizialek '17CC Named to NFL's Atlanta Falcons Roster
9/1/2021 5:00:00 PM | Football
Nizialek Atlanta Falcons BioNizialek Columbia BioNizialek Georgia BioNizialek Makes Falcons RosterFormer Georgia Punter Makes Falcons Roster
Former Lions punter and placekicker becomes 11th Columbia football player to earn an NFL roster spot in the last 16 years.
NEW YORK—Former Columbia Football punter Cameron Nizialek '17CC has earned a spot on the Atlanta Falcons' 53-man roster, the National Football League franchise announced on Tuesday. Nizialek becomes the 11th Columbia football player in the last 16 years to earn an NFL roster spot.
Nizialek signed with the Falcons earlier in the preseason after a stint with the Atlanta Legends of the American Alliance Football League and the Baltimore Ravens. He spent the first three games of the 2020 season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad.
At Columbia, Nizialek earned back-to-back All-Ivy League punting honors in both 2016 and 2017 while averaging 41.3 yards per punt (149 punts, 6,510 yards) with a long of 65 yards and 30 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. In his career, Nizialek also converted nine of 16 field goals with a long of 40 yards and handled kickoff duties. In 2016 as a senior, he led the Ivy League in punting with a 44.8 yards per punt average and ranked second in the conference and No. 15 nationally with a 42.9 yards per punt average as a junior in 2015. At Yale in 2015, Nizialek ran for a memorable touchdown off a fake field goal to secure a Lions' victory. Overall, he saw action in 30 career games from 2014-16.
After graduating from Columbia in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in Economics, Nizialek attended the University of Georgia and played a fifth year of college football with the Bulldogs. In 2017, he won the starting punter job and went on to register Georgia's best net punting average (45.0) since 2009. He ranked No. 9 nationally in punt average, 26 of his 61 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, and he was one of three winners of the team's Special Teams Award. Nazilike also helped guide the Bulldogs to a 13-2 overall record, SEC East Division title with a 7-1 league record, and berth in the FBS national championship game, where they lost a 26-23 overtime game against Alabama.
A Chantilly, Va. native, Nizialek earned a Master's degree in Kinesiology from Georgia in December 2017.
Nizialek signed with the Falcons earlier in the preseason after a stint with the Atlanta Legends of the American Alliance Football League and the Baltimore Ravens. He spent the first three games of the 2020 season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad.
At Columbia, Nizialek earned back-to-back All-Ivy League punting honors in both 2016 and 2017 while averaging 41.3 yards per punt (149 punts, 6,510 yards) with a long of 65 yards and 30 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. In his career, Nizialek also converted nine of 16 field goals with a long of 40 yards and handled kickoff duties. In 2016 as a senior, he led the Ivy League in punting with a 44.8 yards per punt average and ranked second in the conference and No. 15 nationally with a 42.9 yards per punt average as a junior in 2015. At Yale in 2015, Nizialek ran for a memorable touchdown off a fake field goal to secure a Lions' victory. Overall, he saw action in 30 career games from 2014-16.
After graduating from Columbia in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in Economics, Nizialek attended the University of Georgia and played a fifth year of college football with the Bulldogs. In 2017, he won the starting punter job and went on to register Georgia's best net punting average (45.0) since 2009. He ranked No. 9 nationally in punt average, 26 of his 61 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, and he was one of three winners of the team's Special Teams Award. Nazilike also helped guide the Bulldogs to a 13-2 overall record, SEC East Division title with a 7-1 league record, and berth in the FBS national championship game, where they lost a 26-23 overtime game against Alabama.
A Chantilly, Va. native, Nizialek earned a Master's degree in Kinesiology from Georgia in December 2017.
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