3 things to know about new 49ers punter Corliss Waitman

The San Francisco 49ers might've had to replace their entire kicking battery this offseason, with Eddy Pineiro , Jon Weeks and Thomas Morstead all set to hit free agency. However, after re-signing Pineiro and Weeks, they only had one hole in the room. Instead of bringing back Morstead for another year, the 49ers signed Corliss Waitman in the first two weeks of the new league year to be their punter for the 2026 season.

Before Waitman boots his first punt for San Francisco, let's take this chance to get to know him. Life before College Waitman's father was playing basketball in Belgium when Corliss was born in 1995. They moved to the Netherlands before eventually landing in Florida when the younger Waitman turned 15.

While he originally played soccer, he transitioned to football at Milton High School in Milton, Florida. All-Conference punter The two-star recruit committed to South Alabama for the 2014 season and spent five years with the Jaguars. In 40 games over four seasons that he actually played, he punted 158 times and averaged 42.

7 yards per punt while earning All-Sun Belt honors once. Waitman transferred to Mississippi State in 2019, but with the NCAA denying another year of eligibility, he sat out that season. Six-year veteran Waitman signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and had three separate stints with the team.