Penn State kicker transfers to Texas

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A Penn State transfer may be the answer to Texas’s kicking questions.

Houston-area native Anthony Fera is transferring to Texas and is available to play immediately, the school confirmed Thursday.

Fera handled kicking, punting and place kicking for the Nittany Lions during the 2011 season. He was named first-team all-Big 10 by ESPN as a punter after the 2011 season. As a kicker, he was 14-of-17 on field goals and was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, given to the nation’s top place kicker.

He has two years of eligibility remaining.

In a release issued by the university, Fera said the decision to leave Penn State was a choice he wrestled with for weeks. With UT’s assistance, he plans to finish his degree through Penn State, fulfilling a promise he made to former Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno, according to the release.

"A new chapter in my life begins next week, and I am very excited to play for such a well-respected coach in Mack Brown, and a Longhorn football program that is traditionally one of the finest in the nation," Fera said. "My family and I had a chance to visit Austin and get to know the coaches and some of the players last weekend. It is a wonderful place and we had a great time. I feel like I can have another extended family in Austin, and I'm really looking forward to being a part of the team and campus community."

The native of Cyprus, Texas, was a 2008 Under Armour All-American at St. Pius X in Houston and originally committed to Michigan before signing with Penn State.

With the graduation of kicker and punter Justin Tucker, all kicking duties will be up for grabs when the Longhorns begin practice next week.

Fera figures to be the favorite in the competition for place kicker. He’ll battle for the job against incoming freshman Nick Jordan, William Russ and Ben Pruitt, plus several walk-on kickers.

Punter Alex King transferred to Texas from Duke in May.