Corliss Waitman

Corliss Waitman
Waitman with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025
No. 15 – San Francisco 49ers
PositionPunter
Roster status
Active
Personal information
Born (1995-07-21) 21 July 1995 (age 31)
Ghent, Belgium
Listed height
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight
210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolMilton (Milton, Florida, U.S.)
CollegeSouth Alabama (2014–2018)
NFL draft2020: undrafted
CFL draft2022G: 3rd round, 20th overall pick
Career history
* Offseason or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2026
Punts251
Punting yards11,657
Punting average46.4
Longest punt71
Inside 2094
Touchbacks16
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Corliss Leendert Waitman (born 21 July 1995) is a Dutch-American professional football punter for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Alabama Jaguars and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Waitman has also been a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears.

Early life

Waitman was born in Ghent, Belgium, because his father José Waitman was a professional basketball player there. Waitman's mother's family is from Suriname.

When Waitman was young, his family moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he spent his childhood. He played soccer for the Zeeburgia youth teams. When he was 15, he moved to the United States to join his father. Waitman switched from playing soccer to football in high school.

Waitman is fluent in Dutch and English.

College career

Waitman played college football at the University of South Alabama from 2014 to 2018. In February 2019, he transferred to Mississippi State University. However, the NCAA denied Waitman an extra year of eligibility, and he did not play college football in 2019.

Statistics

Year Team GP Punting
PntYdsY/PLngBlck
2014South Alabama 0Did not play
2015South Alabama 3416040.0490
2016South Alabama 131762136.5530
2017South Alabama 12703,16745.2660
2018South Alabama 12672,79241.7580
Career401586,74042.7660

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight
6 ft 1+5⁄8 in
(1.87 m)		213 lb
(97 kg)
Values from Pro Day

Pittsburgh Steelers

On 28 April 2020, Waitman signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He was waived on 5 September and re-signed to the team's practice squad. Waitman signed a reserve/future contract with Pittsburgh on 14 January 2021. On 3 May, Waitman was waived by the Steelers.

Las Vegas Raiders

On 26 July 2021, Waitman was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was waived by Las Vegas on 23 August.

New England Patriots (first stint)

Waitman in 2023

On 23 November 2021, Waitman was signed to the New England Patriots' practice squad.

Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)

Waitman was signed by the Steelers off the Patriots practice squad on 25 December 2021, when Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III took bereavement leave. Waitman made his NFL debut in the team's Week 16 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs the following day. Waitman was waived on 15 January 2022.

Denver Broncos

On 17 January 2022, Waitman was claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos. Waitman was also drafted by the Edmonton Elks in the third round (20th overall) of the 2022 CFL global draft. Waitman was named the starting punter for the Broncos on 29 August, after veteran punter Sam Martin was released. In Week 3, Waitman punted 10 times, six of them inside the 20-yard line, in an 11–10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, earning American Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

New England Patriots (second stint)

On 23 March 2023, Waitman signed a contract with the Patriots, following the Patriots releasing Jake Bailey. On 28 August, the Patriots released Waitman and was re-signed to the practice squad. Waitman was released on 4 October.

Chicago Bears

On 9 January 2024, Waitman signed a reserve/futures contract with the Chicago Bears. He was waived by the Bears on 27 August.

Pittsburgh Steelers (third stint)

Waitman at training camp in 2025

On 9 September 2024, Waitman again signed with the Steelers following a season-ending injury to Cameron Johnston. In 2024, Waitman punted 65 times and averaged out at 46.4 yards per punt and punted inside the 20-yard line 27 times. His longest punt was for 71 yards in a game against the division rival Baltimore Ravens, which the Steelers narrowly won 18–16. Waitman made his postseason debut in the Steelers’ 28–14 loss to the Ravens on 11 January 2025. During that game, he punted five times for a combined 257 yards (51.4 average).

In 2025, Waitman returned to the Steelers to compete with Johnston for the punter position during training camp and the team’s preseason games. With Johnston released on 25 August 2025, Waitman officially became the Steelers’ starting punter for a second consecutive season.

San Francisco 49ers

On 18 March 2026, the San Francisco 49ers signed Waitman to a one-year contract. He was released by the 49ers as a part of final roster cuts on August 30. The following day, Waitman was re–signed to San Francisco's active roster. In Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, Waitman punted five times, each punt landing inside the 20-yard line, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP Punting
PntYdsY/PLngBlckIns20
2021PIT 2736552.16301
2022DEN 17964,47046.659030
2024PIT 16653,01546.471027
2025PIT 17622,82345.567026
2026SFO 82198446.961010
Career6025111,65746.471094

Postseason

Year Team GP Punting
PntYdsY/PLngBlckIns20
2024PIT 1525751.46005
2025PIT 1627345.55604
Career 21153048.26009

References

  1. 1 2 "Corliss Waitman – Football". South Alabama Jaguars Athletics. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 Damien, Levi (26 July 2021). "Raiders sign punter Corliss Waitman with unique backstory". Raiders Wire. USA Today. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Batko, Brian (26 August 2020). "'This guy is in the NFL?': Surinamese Steelers rookie hopes to be". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Bekkema, Tygo (7 April 2026). "Ooit speelde hij voetbal bij Zeeburgia, nu maakt hij naam in de NFL: 'Het is de Champions League, maar dan nog intenser'". Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 October 2026.
  5. ↑ Stephenson, Creg (18 October 2017). "South Alabama's Corliss Waitman developing into one of country's top punters". AL.com. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Stephenson, Creg (6 February 2019). "Former South Alabama punter Corliss Waitman signs with Mississippi State". AL.com. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Nissim, Steve (30 April 2020). "Persistence lands Milton's Corliss Waitman an NFL opportunity". WEAR.
  8. ↑ Olson, Andrew (3 August 2019). "NCAA denies Mississippi State grad transfer's 6th year of eligibility waiver". Saturday Down South. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  9. ↑ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Corliss Waitman College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  10. ↑ Varley, Teresa. "Steelers agree to terms with free agents". Steelers.com. Retrieved 16 October 2026.
  11. ↑ Varley, Teresa. "Steelers sign 13 to Reserve/Future contracts". Steelers.com. Retrieved 16 October 2026.
  12. ↑ Bryan, Dave. "Steelers Waive P Corliss Waitman , TE Charles Jones On Monday". SteelersDepot.com. Retrieved 16 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "Patriots sign punter Corliss Waitman to the practice squad". Patriots.com. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "USA's Corliss Waitman set for NFL debut on Sunday". al.com. 26 December 2021. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Varley, Teresa (15 January 2022). "Steelers activate Smith-Schuster". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  16. ↑ Williams, Charean (17 January 2022). "Broncos claim Corliss Waitman off waivers". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Kingsley Jonathan leads the Way in Global Draft". CFL.ca. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Broncos cut punter Sam Martin after he refuses pay cut". NBC Sports. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  19. ↑ Gordon, Grant (28 September 2022). "Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson lead Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  20. ↑ "Patriots Re-Sign DL Daniel Ekuale and Sign P Corliss Waitman". patriots.com. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  21. ↑ Yang, Nicole (23 March 2023). "Patriots sign left-footed punter Corliss Waitman". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  22. ↑ Schad, Joe (22 March 2023). "New Dolphins punter Jake Bailey addresses Patriots' suspension and contract dispute". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "Patriots Release QB Trace McSorley and P Corliss Waitman". Patriots.com. 28 August 2023.
  24. ↑ "Patriots Practice Squad Headlined by QBs Zappe, Malik". SI.com. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  25. ↑ "Patriots Sign DL Trysten Hill to the Practice Squad; Release P Corliss Waitman from the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  26. ↑ Medina, Luis (9 January 2024). "Punter Corliss Waitman Signs with the Bears". Bleacher Nation. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  27. ↑ Mayer, Larry (27 August 2024). "Roster Moves: Bears reach 53-man roster limit". ChicagoBears.com.
  28. ↑ Varley, Teresa (9 September 2024). "Steelers sign Waitman". Steelers.com. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  29. ↑ "Corliss Waitman 2024 Stats per Game". ESPN.com. 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  30. ↑ "NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. 21 July 1995. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  31. ↑ Williams, Charean (25 August 2025). "Report: Steelers cut P Cameron Johnston". NBC Sports. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  32. ↑ "49ers Sign WR Christian Kirk, P Corliss Waitman to One-Year Deals; Re-Sign DL Sam Okuayinonu". 49ers.com. 18 March 2026. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  33. ↑ "49ers Announce Moves for Initial 53-Man Roster". 49ers.com. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  34. ↑ "49ers re-sign S Ashtyn Davis, P Corliss Waitman, place two on IR". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 16 October 2026.
  35. ↑ Simmons, Myles. "49ers re-sign S Ashtyn Davis, P Corliss Waitman, place two on IR". NBCSports.com. Retrieved 16 October 2026.
  36. ↑ Gordon, Grant (14 October 2026). "Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Steelers RB Jaylen Warren highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved 16 October 2026.