Atlanta, Georgia

College Park, Georgia: where A.J. Cole's journey from Woodward Academy to NFL punter began.

via Wikipedia: AJ Cole (American football) · see source

Alfred James Cole III, known as A.J. Cole, was born on November 27, 1995, and grew up in College Park, Georgia. He attended Woodward Academy, where he played football, basketball, and soccer. As a senior, Cole was named All-Metro Area by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. College Park is a city in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and Cole's early life there shaped his path to becoming an NFL punter for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Quick Facts

Region: Southeastern United States

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

Cole grew up in College Park, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, and attended Woodward Academy. There, he was a multi-sport athlete, playing football, basketball, and soccer. His senior year, he earned All-Metro Area honors from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This foundation led him to a four-year starting punter role at NC State, where he finished with 9,288 punting yards (third-highest in school history) and a 42.2-yard average. He was a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy as a junior and a semifinalist as a senior, and in 2017 received Honorable Mention All-American honors by GPR Analytics.

Reader's Guide

For fans tracking A.J. Cole's roots, College Park, Georgia is the starting point. He attended Woodward Academy, playing football, basketball, and soccer, and earned All-Metro Area honors from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a senior. This multi-sport background helped him become a four-year starter at punter for NC State, where he posted 9,288 punting yards (third in school history) and a 42.2-yard average. His college accolades include being a Wuerffel Trophy finalist (junior) and semifinalist (senior), plus Honorable Mention All-American by GPR Analytics in 2017. Cole's NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders includes a 2021 Pro Bowl selection, first-team All-Pro in 2021, and a 2022 Pro Bowl nod. He signed a four-year, $12.4 million extension in 2021 and a four-year, $15.8 million extension in 2025, making him the NFL's highest-paid punter.

Did You Know?

Cole has the most yards per punt (48.48) in NFL history.
In Week 9 of the 2023 season, Cole set an NFL record for gross punt average in a game with 63.6 yards, later broken by Ryan Rehkow in 2024.
Cole threw a 34-yard reception to Divine Deablo in a fake punt in Week 12 of the 2024 season, the longest by a punter in the NFL since 2017.