Warrnambool gridiron export Jack Ansell utilises month at home to prepare for upcoming college season with Purdue University

The 25-year-old Purdue University punter returned to his high school, Brauer College, last month and addressed students about his unconventional journey to American college football.

Ansell, who departed for the US on Saturday ahead of his third season with the Boilermakers, leapt at the chance to pass on his wisdom to the next generation.

"It's sort of like that roles reversed situation," he said. "When you're at school there you see a lot of guest speakers come in and stuff and all of a sudden you're the guest speaker and you're the guy giving them all the cliches and, you know, it hasn't been too long since you were in their shoes.

"A super rewarding and humbling experience being invited to go back in and talk to the kids. I feel like I've got a lot to give in terms of experiences that I've had to share with the kids and stuff like that."

The Prokick Australia product was visibly refreshed after a month at home in Warrnambool, away from the demands of college football.

He made use of his time by catching up with family and friends, as well as visiting some primary schools.

"Over there you have your little avenues trying to get away from football," he said.

"Playing golf on the weekends and stuff like that when I have a spare couple of hours but to actually fully get away for the month and get back to Warrnambool and catch up with everybody and, apart from practising on my own time, just being able to step away and sort of refresh fully (was great)..."

Ansell, originally a multi-sport athlete who earned a football scholarship to Purdue in 2021, produced his best campaign to date for the Boilermakers in his sophomore year last season.

He punted 55 times for an average distance of 42.7 yards, up from 44 at 38.3 in his first year, and in October was added to the watch-list for college punting's biggest accolade - the Ray Guy Award.

Ansell also earned Academic All-Big Ten Honours which are awarded to student-athletes enrolled at their university for at least 12 months who hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

On the field the Boilermakers enjoyed success, winning the Big Ten conference west division before falling short in December 43-22 against Michigan in the Big Ten championship game.

In January the side played Louisiana State University in the Citrus Bowl but lost 63-7.

"We made the championship last year and just fell short in that game but individually I had a really strong year so looking forward to building on that this coming year and hopefully doing some good things," Ansell said.

"Obviously the better the team's going the less I'm on the field, so hopefully there's a little bit of a nice balance with that.

"That being said though obviously when I get out there it's just about doing my job and putting the defence in the best position possible moving forward. It'll be the same as it always is, stick to the basics and the fundamentals and just do my job when I'm called upon."

The former Brauer student is primed for a big year, acknowledging he had "tangible" progress to make with his game.

"I feel like I'm in a really good spot right now to succeed," he said. "We've just got two new strength and conditioning coaches as well, who put you through your paces pretty well. I've been doing their program over the break since I've been here. I'm feeling strong, feeling confident, feeling like I'm ready to cut loose once the season comes and really just let it go."

With a season under his belt, Ansell grew in stature last year however he also credits his teammates, coaches and partner in particular for his rise in confidence.

"It's the same as anything, the more you do it, the more comfortable you are and I think it was just a bit of a divine thing with everything, it lined up to work out great," he said.

"(I) got my girlfriend out from New York, she moved in with me which was great so I actually had a home base I felt like to go to. Outside of football I wasn't just going home and thinking about football all the time, so that was a good little escape and a good little avenue for me to step away from the game."