College football’s best hit of the week came from an unlikely source: UL-Monroe punter Makenzie Ryan.
The Louisiana-Monroe punter showed off his tackling skills Saturday in the first quarter of his team’s matchup against Alabama. Ryan kicked a 40-yard punt into the hands of Alabama return specialist Cole Adams just past the 50-yard line at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Adams danced past about a half dozen UL-Monroe defenders and raced down the sideline for a huge return. Ryan was the only person standing between Adams and getting the ball back to the line of scrimmage. The Warhawks punter channeled his inner John “Bradshaw” Layfield and delivered a clothesline from hell to take down Ryan at Louisiana-Monroe’s 23.
“That’s like a Bradshaw clothesline. Vince McMahon would be proud,” one of the announcers even said on the ESPN broadcast.
ULM PUNTER CLOTHESLINES THE ALABAMA RETURNER pic.twitter.com/xSFStnBkIX
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 7, 2025
Ryan clearly doesn’t have the natural tackling instincts of a normal defensive back. He relied solely on his arms to make the tackle, seemingly to avoid taking any real body contact.
But the man evidently has some strength to him, given how violently he dragged down a return specialist like Adams charging at him with a full head of steam.
The moment turned out to be one of the lone highlights of the game for UL-Monroe. The Warhawks got trounced 73-0 by an Alabama team still reeling from its season-opening loss to Florida State.
