Andy Pappanastos on transferring to Alabama: 'It was a no-brainer'
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Andy Pappanastos grew up watching Alabama from inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Montgomery, Ala., native’s family had season tickets in section L, located around the 10-yard line on the Alabama side of the field.
That’s the same side Pappanastos will be on when he suits up as Alabama’s placekicker Saturday night against Ole Miss. However, it wasn’t the side he was on two years ago, the last time the two teams met in Tuscaloosa.
Despite rooting for the Tide growing up, Pappanastos’ dream of playing for Alabama was delayed coming out of high school. While he had interest in coming to Alabama, the Tide had already signed Adam Griffith, the nation’s No. 2 kicker in the 2012 class.
“I was like, ‘Well, that’s kind of out of the equation now,’” Pappanastos said. “Ole Miss came up and I really loved it there. The campus is great and the school was a really good fit for me, as well. It worked out really well.”
Pappanastos grayshirted a year before joining Ole Miss in the spring of 2013. He then redshirted his freshman year before serving the next two years as a backup to Gary Wunderlich. Over that span, Pappanastos attempted just one field goal and six extra points. Though he didn’t see the field much, those two seasons provided plenty of exciting moments, perhaps none as memorable as back-to-back wins over Alabama.
“That was pretty weird, it really was,” Pappanastos said. “But when I was at Ole Miss, it was you bleed, you sweat for that team, so I mean I was obviously invested in what we had to do there. But it was always a little interesting playing Alabama, just because of my past as a kid.”
Last season, that intrigue became reality. After earning his undergraduate degree, Pappanastos transferred to Alabama as a walk-on before the 2016 season. Playing behind Griffith, he appeared in five games going 6 of 6 on extra points while making his first career field goal from 33 yards out against Chattanooga.
“The opportunity to come here just kind of came up, and it was something that I couldn’t really turn away, especially getting back to my home state,” Pappanastos said. “I grew up a big Alabama fan... It was always kind of a dream to be playing here, and once that kind of came up it was a no-brainer.”
After winning the starting job this preseason, Pappanastos has developed into a dependable option for the Tide. The redshirt senior is 8 of 10 on field goals and has made his last six attempts, including a career-best of 46 yards against Colorado State. His eight made field goals are tied for most in the SEC, while his 80 percent conversion rate is tied for second in the conference.
“Honestly, it’s really flown by. I know that’s kind of a strange answer, but I’m really trying to enjoy every minute of it,” Pappanastos said of his season so far. “From the summer on, I really worked hard to kind of be in the position that I am, and I just have great teammates around me — snapper, holder are really doing a good job. They’ve been doing an awesome job since we started working in the summer. So, they’re really making it a lot easier on me with as good as they’ve done.”
Despite switching sides, Pappanastos said he still talks to Wunderlich and Ole Miss punter Will Gleeson weekly. He admits that going against his former teammates this Saturday will be a little strange. Although at this point, it’s all part of the wild ride that has brought him to where he is today.
