Is Northwestern punter Luke Akers related to ex-Eagles kicker David Akers?
By John Buhler
Northwestern football specialist Luke Akers has a famous NFL father in former Philadelphia Eagles star kicker David Akers.
With the Northwestern football team taking on Nebraska overseas in Dublin in Week 0, people are wondering if Wildcats punter Luke Akers is related to retired NFL star placekicker David Akers, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Although the two Akers men go about kicking the football in totally different manners, it would not be the least bit shocking for the specialist trend to stay in the family. While Akers just transferred to Northwestern after initially committing to and playing for the UCLA Bruins during his first two years, he is making his Wildcats debut in front of all those who made the trek to the Emerald Isle.
Yes, the two Akers men who kicked footballs are related. Like Darth Vader, David is Luke’s father!
Northwestern football: Is punter Luke Akers related to ex-Eagles K David Akers?
According to the 247Sports Composite, Akers was a three-star recruit in the 2020 cycle. He was the No. 3 kicking prospect in his class, the No. 49 player hailing from Tennessee and the No. 1,696 player nationally. Surprisingly, he only had two offers (UCLA and Yale) and opted to head to Westwood. Unbelievably, his father’s team, the Louisville Cardinals, did not even offer the guy…
The native of Brentwood, Tennessee just outside of Nashville switched positions while at UCLA. With this being his first time transferring, Akers is eligible to play right away. Factor in the 2020 COVID season not counting towards his overall eligibility if he does not want it to, Akers can play three more years at Northwestern before dipping his toes into the pros like his famous father did.
As far as David Akers is concerned, he played in the NFL from 1997 to 2013 with six franchises, most notably Philadelphia from 1999 to 2010 under then-head coach Andy Reid. A six-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, Akers led the league in scoring twice, made the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and is one of the greatest players in Eagles football history, setting multiple records along the way.
In a few years, we may see another Akers kick a ball professionally on fall Sundays going forward.
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