MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football punter Corliss Waitman recently sat down with USAJaguars.com to discuss the preseason honors, how a special person in his life played a major role in him coming to South Alabama and his time growing up in Europe, among other things.

Waitmann, a senior from Milton, Fla., has been a member of the Jaguar program since the 2014 season. Waitmann saw action in each of the first three games as a redshirt freshman, but suffered a season-ending injury. Since, he has competed 35 games handling the punting duties each of the last two seasons. Prior to the start of the 2018 season, Waitman was named to the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List as well as two different preseason All-American teams – second-team All-America by Sports Illustrated and third-team All-America from Athlon Sports. As a junior, Waitman was an honorable mention selection on the inaugural All-American Punter team after he ranked third on the organization's top five list of Coffin Kickers with an 89.86 rating.  Waitman was also a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection and named first-team all-league by Phil Steele Publications after averaging a school-record 45.24 yards per punt, which ranked first in the conference and eighth in the country; he posted 26 kicks inside the opponent's 20-yard line with 21 punts of 50-plus yards as well.  

Last season, you emerged as one of the top punters nationally. What do you feel led you to having that type of season?
"It was just being healthy and being confident. I also had great teammates who wanted to do better; it was just a fun year all around. It's the same thing for this year; just have positive teammates who have the right mentality and want to be great."

Over the past two seasons, you've received not only conference, but national recognition. Talk to me about what those honors meant to you personally.
"It's nice to receive those honors. It shows how much the team worked to get them. I have a lot of guys who have blocked for me and I'm nothing without our snapper. If he snaps the ball over my head then I wouldn't be able to get those honors. I'm thankful for my teammates and it's a blessing, but right now it's about winning football games and we will worry about the honors after the season."

Talk about your role on special teams and how the unit can have an effect on the success of the team.
"Every time I go out there to punt, I have to be able to flip the field. If I'm able to do my job, it will help our team out and make the opponent have to work harder to get a touchdown."

What areas of your game have you worked on since last season to improve your punting?
"This year, I've really focused on my hang time. I don't want to give up any big returns, so having good hang time and consistency are really important. I just want to help my team out anytime I'm on the field. I just want to be focused, locked in and hit my ball."

What have you taken from working with a new special teams coach – Matt Kitchens – this season?
"We talked before he came here and he made sure I was comfortable on what our schemes and formations were going to be, along with what he was trying to get out of our punt team. Everything has been great. We communicate well on punt team and we're working hard. I'm thankful for having teammates and a coaching staff like I do."

You come from an athletic family were a bunch of your relatives played collegiately, including your father at South Alabama. What did you pick up from them that you've used in your career?
"I would definitely say the mental aspect; being a Division I athlete can be stressful sometimes, but having a family that is mentally tough, know what you're going through and how you have to prepare helps. My aunt, Doretha Waitman, played basketball at Texas and had to go the JUCO route which was a lot. She also played professionally for a while and I talk to her most of the time. She's always there for advice and knows how to be great at what you do, how to prepare and what kind of mindset you have to have."

As mentioned earlier, your dad, Jose Waitman, played basketball here at South Alabama in the early-to-mid 80's. What part did that play in your decision to become a Jaguar?
"That is the only reason I came here. I actually reached out to South even though I had some other offers. I wanted to go to South to honor my dad. I went to one game during the recruiting process and committed right then. I had so much respect for my dad that soon as they offered me, I took it."

What do you want to do after your time at South Alabama?
"I definitely hope I get a shot at the NFL [National Football League]. Other than that, I can't see myself involved with anything outside of sports. I'm a very competitive person. You can compete in any profession, but I feel I have to stay close to sports whether it be in something like sports management, a sports agent, sports marketing or something like that. I just want to be involved and creative. I don't see myself going into coaching though."

Speaking of your competitiveness, offensive and defensive players are able to compete against each other pretty much every play. As a punter though, it's more of an internal competition where you are competing against yourself mostly. Talk with me about that element.
"It's kind of like playing golf, I guess. You have to make sure your fundamentals are right. It's a mental game also, so you have to be confident in yourself. Myself, Frankie [Onate] and Gavin [Patterson] do compete with each other at practice in some little games that we do against each other, but it's mostly about fine-tuning your fundamentals, being confident in what you do and trusting your swing like golf."

Who would you say has had the biggest influence on your life?
"I would have to say God. I don't want to sound cliché, but just staying humble has been important. I feel like if you fear God, you will always stay humble and try to do right. I just work on my character and be the best person I can be. Just stay humble, stay close to your family and your elders, which all comes from God. At the end of the day all of that has to come from within you. It's bigger than sports, it's life. It can be a good thing for you if you value your family, your friends who are there to support you. That's really how I live."

What other sports did you play?
"I was involved in track and field. When I lived in Europe, I was ranked No. 2 in the 60 meters when I was 11. I was really competitive and my mom had ran track and field. Of course soccer has been part of my whole life. I played basketball a little bit, but I didn't think that really was for me. My whole family had played basketball and I was the only person that didn't. I do like to play pickup games, but that's about it.

You were born in Ghent, Belgium. When did you move to the United States?
"I moved when I was around 15 years old. Before that though, I had come to the US every summer to visit my dad, so I already knew some people and family here. My dad had had a stroke when I was 13 and that situation wasn't getting any better, so I just ended up coming to America so I could spend time with my dad. It wasn't an easy decision to come, but I just wanted something new. I was so used to Europe and it was too small for me. I wanted to do something bigger and I guess it worked out for me since I'm playing Division I football. It's a blessing."

How often do you go back to visit your mom?
"I go once, if not twice a year. I always go back for Christmas. I try to go during the summer, but I didn't this past summer because I was trying to work on my craft a little more. My mom came here though for the first three games, which she usually does come here some too."

What are some of your hobbies?
"I like to play piano, chess, read books, specifically non-fiction. I also play video games of course. I'm also a water connoisseur, I like to taste different types of water. That's really weird. I've probably tasted over 40 brands. I'm really big on tasting different waters. I don't know why."

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