Central Michigan University Athletics
2023 Signee Roster

Jake Walrath
- Position:
 - P
 
- Class:
 - Senior
 
- Height:
 - 6-4
 
- Weight:
 - 200
 
- Hometown:
 - Salado, Texas
 
- High School:
 - Salada H.S.
 
- Previous School:
 - Tarleton State/Utah State
 
CAREER
 
Finished career ranked No. 2 all-time in career punting (40.9) at Tarleton State … Averaged 40.9 yards per punt (5,894 yards on 144 punts), kicked 27 punts of 50-yards or more, placed 45 punts inside the 20-yard line and registered 55 fair catches in 35 career games … Set single-season school records for punting … Earned three varsity letters.
 
2022 AT TARLETON STATE
 
Graduated from Tarleton State … Averaged 40.2 yards per punt (1,969 yards on 49 punts), placed 13 inside the 20-yard line and kicked nine 50-yard punts with only five touchbacks … Kicked two 50-yard punts and placed two inside the 20-yard line at Stephen F. Austin (Oct. 15) … Placed three punts inside the 20-yard line with a long of 55 yards vs. Southwest Baptist (Oct. 22) … Averaged 47.0 yards per punt (7-329 yards) with a long of 55 yards and placed two inside the 20 yard line at Utah Tech (Nov. 12) … Helped guide the Texans to a 6-5 overall record.
 
2021 AT TARLETON STATE
As a sophomore, earned Phil Steele FCS All-WAC Third Team honors … Played in all 11 games, serving as the team’s only punter in game action … Had 50 punts cover 2,129 yards, averaging 42.6 yards per punt … Had 16 punts placed inside the 20-yard-line, nine punts go 50 or more yards, 24 fair catches and six touchbacks … Set a new team single-season record for yards per punt at 42.6, surpassing Ron Reid’s 42.1 yards per punt average in 2018 … Ended the 2021 season with the second highest career yards per punt average in school history at 41.3, trailing only Isaac Arrellano (2012-15) at 41.4 yards per punt … Had a 74-yard punt against Abilene Christian on Nov. 13, which tied for the second longest punt in the Western Athletic Conference in 2021 … Only 10 punts across the FCS all season were longer than his 74-yarder … In the Western Athletic Conference, ranked first in fair catches, second in total yards, second in total punts, third in average punt yards, third in punts inside the 20 … In the FCS, only 20 players averaged more yards per punt … Recorded his most punts in a game at Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 2 (eight) … Had his best yards per punt average in a game vs. Fort Lewis on Sept. 11 at 46.7 yards per … Pinned Midwestern State at the 1-yard-line on a 45-yard punt with 38 seconds remaining in the game with Tarleton leading, and eventually winning, 17-14.
 
2020 AT TARLETON STATE
As a sophomore, was the lone punter to appear in a game for the Texans, booting 30 punts … Averaged 37.5 yards per punt, trapping opponents inside the 20-yard-line 10 times, a career-high mark … Had four punts go 50+ yards, topping at 55 yards against New Mexico State on Feb. 21 … Had a season-high seven punts against the Aggies and averaged his long of 51.5 yards in his two punts against Northeastern State on March 27 … Had 13 fair catches and four touchbacks.
 
2019 AT TARLETON STATE
As a redshirt freshman, appeared in five games … Punted 15 times for 672 yards … Had five punts over 50 yards, including a long of 63 … Pinned six punts inside the 20 … LSC Champion.
 
2018 AT UTAH STATE
Redshirted season as a true freshman.
 
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of Salado High School, earned three varsity letters for Head Coach Alan Haire and Jared Cruddas … Two-time Second Team All-District kicker in 2016 and 2017 … Led the Eagles to the 2018 District Championship in football … 2018 District Champs in soccer … Two-time football All-District selection … Academic All-State … Holds the school record for longest field goal … Averaged 41.3 yards per punt as a senior … Also competed in track and field … Earned a total of eight varsity letters.
 
PERSONAL
Born Louis Jake Walrath on August 27, 2000 in Killeen, Texas … Son of Jason and Kathi Walrath … Father Jason is a retired Army General, who attended Army West Point … Has a younger sister Olivia … Role models are his mother and father, who demonstrated a blend of hard work, honestly, preparedness, kindness, and compassion … Hobbies and interests include hiking, hunting/fishing, ping pong, shooting skeet and trap, and grilling… Has bartended at a brewery in Birmingham, Ala. during summers … Visited Central Michigan on December 9, 2022 … Selected Central Michigan to play for the coaching staff, the opportunity, the family feel of the program, and college town location … Chose Central Michigan over offers from Texas, Baylor, Arkansas, Oregon State, Troy, Georgia State, Connecticut, and Bowling Green … Majoring in kinesiology.
Finished career ranked No. 2 all-time in career punting (40.9) at Tarleton State … Averaged 40.9 yards per punt (5,894 yards on 144 punts), kicked 27 punts of 50-yards or more, placed 45 punts inside the 20-yard line and registered 55 fair catches in 35 career games … Set single-season school records for punting … Earned three varsity letters.
2022 AT TARLETON STATE
Graduated from Tarleton State … Averaged 40.2 yards per punt (1,969 yards on 49 punts), placed 13 inside the 20-yard line and kicked nine 50-yard punts with only five touchbacks … Kicked two 50-yard punts and placed two inside the 20-yard line at Stephen F. Austin (Oct. 15) … Placed three punts inside the 20-yard line with a long of 55 yards vs. Southwest Baptist (Oct. 22) … Averaged 47.0 yards per punt (7-329 yards) with a long of 55 yards and placed two inside the 20 yard line at Utah Tech (Nov. 12) … Helped guide the Texans to a 6-5 overall record.
2021 AT TARLETON STATE
As a sophomore, earned Phil Steele FCS All-WAC Third Team honors … Played in all 11 games, serving as the team’s only punter in game action … Had 50 punts cover 2,129 yards, averaging 42.6 yards per punt … Had 16 punts placed inside the 20-yard-line, nine punts go 50 or more yards, 24 fair catches and six touchbacks … Set a new team single-season record for yards per punt at 42.6, surpassing Ron Reid’s 42.1 yards per punt average in 2018 … Ended the 2021 season with the second highest career yards per punt average in school history at 41.3, trailing only Isaac Arrellano (2012-15) at 41.4 yards per punt … Had a 74-yard punt against Abilene Christian on Nov. 13, which tied for the second longest punt in the Western Athletic Conference in 2021 … Only 10 punts across the FCS all season were longer than his 74-yarder … In the Western Athletic Conference, ranked first in fair catches, second in total yards, second in total punts, third in average punt yards, third in punts inside the 20 … In the FCS, only 20 players averaged more yards per punt … Recorded his most punts in a game at Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 2 (eight) … Had his best yards per punt average in a game vs. Fort Lewis on Sept. 11 at 46.7 yards per … Pinned Midwestern State at the 1-yard-line on a 45-yard punt with 38 seconds remaining in the game with Tarleton leading, and eventually winning, 17-14.
2020 AT TARLETON STATE
As a sophomore, was the lone punter to appear in a game for the Texans, booting 30 punts … Averaged 37.5 yards per punt, trapping opponents inside the 20-yard-line 10 times, a career-high mark … Had four punts go 50+ yards, topping at 55 yards against New Mexico State on Feb. 21 … Had a season-high seven punts against the Aggies and averaged his long of 51.5 yards in his two punts against Northeastern State on March 27 … Had 13 fair catches and four touchbacks.
2019 AT TARLETON STATE
As a redshirt freshman, appeared in five games … Punted 15 times for 672 yards … Had five punts over 50 yards, including a long of 63 … Pinned six punts inside the 20 … LSC Champion.
2018 AT UTAH STATE
Redshirted season as a true freshman.
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of Salado High School, earned three varsity letters for Head Coach Alan Haire and Jared Cruddas … Two-time Second Team All-District kicker in 2016 and 2017 … Led the Eagles to the 2018 District Championship in football … 2018 District Champs in soccer … Two-time football All-District selection … Academic All-State … Holds the school record for longest field goal … Averaged 41.3 yards per punt as a senior … Also competed in track and field … Earned a total of eight varsity letters.
PERSONAL
Born Louis Jake Walrath on August 27, 2000 in Killeen, Texas … Son of Jason and Kathi Walrath … Father Jason is a retired Army General, who attended Army West Point … Has a younger sister Olivia … Role models are his mother and father, who demonstrated a blend of hard work, honestly, preparedness, kindness, and compassion … Hobbies and interests include hiking, hunting/fishing, ping pong, shooting skeet and trap, and grilling… Has bartended at a brewery in Birmingham, Ala. during summers … Visited Central Michigan on December 9, 2022 … Selected Central Michigan to play for the coaching staff, the opportunity, the family feel of the program, and college town location … Chose Central Michigan over offers from Texas, Baylor, Arkansas, Oregon State, Troy, Georgia State, Connecticut, and Bowling Green … Majoring in kinesiology.
Langston Louis Post-Game Press Conference at WMU
Sunday, November 02
Joe Labas Post-Game Press Conference at WMU
Sunday, November 02
Matt Drinkall Post-Game Press Conference at WMU
Sunday, November 02
Jordan Kwiatkowski Post-Game Press Conference at WMU
Sunday, November 02








