Biography

BIOGRAPHY

AJ Cole was born November 27, 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a punter in the NFL.

Cole attended Woodward academy, where he played basketball and football. As a senior, Cole was named All-Metro Area by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Cole was a four year starter at punter for the NC State Wolf Pack. He finished his collegiate career with 9,288 punting yards (third-highest in school history) and averaged 42.2 yards per punt. He was a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy as a junior and a semifinalist for the award as a senior. In 2017 Cole was awarded Honorable Mention All-American honors by GPR Punt Rating.

Cole was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders on May 6, 2019, after participating in a rookie mini-camp with the team. He beat out incumbent punter Johnny Townsend during training camp to make the Raiders 53-man roster.

Cole made his NFL debut on September 9, 2019, against the Denver Broncos, punting three times for 134 yards a 44.7-yard average.

On December 9, 2021, Cole signed a four-year, $12.4 million contract extension with the Raiders. On December 20, 2021, Cole was named to the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl. Cole would lead the league among qualified punters in yards per punt in 2021, averaging 50 yards per punt. Cole would receive first-team All-Pro distinction in 2021.