Armstrong is relatively new to the art of punting. He was a defensive end and tight end during his high school days and also earlier in his collegiate career. After handling kickoff duties, he was given the task of being the punter at Harper College. In his first year of performing those chores, he led the National Junior College Athletics Association with a 43.74-yard average.

At Conant High School, Armstrong lettered as a defensive end and tight end. He also handled some kickoff chores. He was contemplating walking on at Purdue, but decided to enroll at Harper College after graduating from Conant High.

In 2003, he played defensive end, seeing a few snaps on offense, where he caught two passes for 28 yards for the national championship team. He sat out the 2004 season, returning to the gridiron at Harper College in 2005.

He earned NJCAA All-American and All-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference first-team honors that year. He handled all of the kicking duties, leading the junior college ranks with 43 punts for 1,881 yards (43.74 avg). He had 23 of his 48 kickoffs sail out of the end zone and scored 52 points on 7-of-12 field goals and 31-of-33 extra point attempts.

Armstrong finally got his wish when he enrolled at Purdue in time to compete in 2006 spring drills. Despite no formal training or coaching as a punter, he earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference and honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades from the league's coaches. He was a member of the Ray Guy Award Watch List.

That year, he did not have enough punts to qualify for the national title (would have ranked 22nd in the NCAA), but ranked second in the league with a 43.08-yard average on 50 punts. Armstrong had 16 of his attempts downed inside the 20-yard line, as 12 others were fair catches. The opposition returned 20 of his punts for a 7.9-yard average and one touchdown, as he also recorded a solo tackle.

Before his senior year, Armstrong enrolled a punting coach to help him with his craft. He punted 67 times for 2,724 yards (40.7 avg) with 14 of his attempts being ruled fair catches while 17 others were downed inside the 20-yard line. He recovered a fumble on the punt coverage unit, as 24 of his kicks were returned for 169 yards (7.0 avg). He also kicked off twice (both onside kicks).

In 27 games at Purdue, Armstrong punted 117 times for 4,878 yards (41.69 avg), as two of his attempts were blocked, nine were ruled touchbacks, 26 were good for fair catches and 33 others were downed inside the 20-yard line. He had 48 punts returned for 326 yards (6.79 avg) and one touchdown. He also recorded a solo tackle and recovered a fumble.

Positives: Has a thick frame with good upper body muscle tone, thick lower body with wide thighs and solidly built calves and big hands … Gets the ball off quickly and is known for getting long distances on his attempts … Shows good hand extension for the snap, rarely letting the ball get into his body … Has the large, soft hands to adjust to the high snap … Booms the ball for good distance, but needs to improve his hang time and rise on his attempts … Needs to be a bit more consistent adjusting to snaps, but did show some improvement as a senior … Solid poor weather kicker with enough leg strength to not have his attempts affected by the wind or rain … Knows how to speed up his punts when facing block pressure and stays cool under pressure, doing a nice job of getting the ball off with opponents converging on him … Gets the ball off on time, even when using a three-step punting approach … Improved his ability to angle his attempts towards the sidelines in 2007, but still could use further development … Shows a powerful strike and follow-through and has sure hands to handle the bad snap … Drives for distance on kickoffs, getting good trajectory, but has not handled those chores much since 2003.

Negatives: Needs to improve the consistency of the rise on his kicks … Showed marked improvement in 2007, but still needs to work on his mechanics in angling on his pooch punts … While he has good tackling skills (former defensive end), he looks slow and deliberate in his stride to get downfield and support the coverage unit (safety guy, but does little after the ball is kicked, just trotting to the ball, showing little urgency) … Needs to show better leg extension and explosion behind his kicks … While he can kick for distance, his hang times are erratic (will revert to kicking line drives when he fails to get good rise on his attempts and his hang time averages just 3.95 seconds) … Has handled kickoffs in the past, but lacks the height on his attempts to be considered for that option at the next level … Needs to angle his pooch attempts better (most would go out of bounds, especially when kicking from the opposite hash).

Compares To: SAM KOCH-Baltimore … Armstrong is still learning his craft, having taken up the art of punting just three seasons ago. He has a strong leg with adequate extension, but needs to continue working on improving his rise and trajectory of his kicks. He is still a work in progress as far as hang times are concerned, and with all of his line drive boots it is surprising that only 37.6 percent of his punts have been returned. The leg strength is there, but the technique is still raw. A team with an aging veteran could put this kid on the developmental squad for a year so he can get professional tutoring.

Campus: 4.89 in the 40-yard dash … 275-pound bench press … 385-pound squat … 264-pound power clean … 27-inch vertical jump … 30 1/8-inch arm length … 9 ¼-inch hands … Right-handed … Right-footed kicker … Wears contacts.

Combine: Did not receive an invitation.

Attended James B. Convant (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) High School … Competed as a tight end and defensive end … Also handled kickoff chores, but did not punt.

Organizational Leadership and Supervision major … Born Jared Armstrong on 3/18/85 … Resides in Gilberts, Illinois.