 Waitman with thePittsburgh Steelers in 2025 | |||||||||||||
| No. 3 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Punter | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-07-21)21 July 1995 (age 30)[1] Ghent, Belgium[1] | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Milton(Milton, Florida, U.S.) | ||||||||||||
| College | South Alabama (2014–2018) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2020: undrafted | ||||||||||||
| CFL draft | 2022G: 3rd round, 20th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2025 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Corliss Leendert Waitman (born 21 July 1995) is a Belgian-American professionalfootballpunter for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSouth Alabama Jaguars.
Waitman's mother's family is fromSuriname.[2] His father,José Waitman, was a professional basketball player, and was playing inBelgium when Corliss was born. The family moved tothe Netherlands, where Corliss spent his childhood. When he was 15, he moved to the United States to join his father. Waitman switched from playing soccer to football in high school.[3]
Waitman is fluent in Dutch and English.[4]
Waitman playedcollege football at theUniversity of South Alabama from 2014 to 2018. In February 2019, he transferred toMississippi State University.[5] However, theNCAA denied Waitman an extra year of eligibility, and he did not play college football in 2019.[6][7]
| Year | Team | GP | Punting | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pnt | Yds | Y/P | Lng | Blck | |||
| 2014 | South Alabama | 0 | Did not play | ||||
| 2015 | South Alabama | 3 | 4 | 160 | 40.0 | 49 | 0 |
| 2016 | South Alabama | 13 | 17 | 621 | 36.5 | 53 | 0 |
| 2017 | South Alabama | 12 | 70 | 3,167 | 45.2 | 66 | 0 |
| 2018 | South Alabama | 12 | 67 | 2,792 | 41.7 | 58 | 0 |
| Career | 40 | 158 | 6,740 | 42.7 | 66 | 0 | |
| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+5⁄8 in (1.87 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | |||||||||||
| Values fromPro Day[8] | ||||||||||||
Waitman was signed by thePittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on 28 April 2020. He was waived on 5 September 2020 and re-signed to thepractice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on 14 January 2021. He was waived on 3 May 2021.
On 26 July 2021, Waitman was signed by theLas Vegas Raiders. He was waived on 23 August 2021.
On 23 November 2021, Waitman was signed to theNew England Patriots' practice squad.[9]
Waitman was signed by the Steelers off the Patriots practice squad on 25 December 2021, when Steelers punterPressley Harvin III took bereavement leave.[10] He made his NFL debut in the team's week 16 loss against theKansas City Chiefs the following day. He was waived on 15 January 2022.[11]
On 17 January 2022, Waitman was claimed off waivers by theDenver Broncos.[12]
Waitman was also drafted by theEdmonton Elks in the third round (20th overall) of the2022 CFL Global Draft.[13]
Waitman was named the starting punter for the Broncos on 29 August 2022, after veteran punterSam Martin was released.[14] 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, earningAmerican Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.[15]
On 23 March 2023, Waitman signed a contract with the Patriots, following the Patriots releasingJake Bailey.[16][17][18] On 28 August, the Patriots released Waitman and was re-signed to the practice squad.[19][20] Waitman was released on 4 October.[21]
On 9 January 2024, Waitman signed a reserve/futures contract with theChicago Bears.[22] He was waived on August 27.[23]
On September 9, 2024, Waitman again signed with the Steelers following a season-ending injury toCameron Johnston.[24]
During his 2024 campaign, Waitman punted a total of 65 times. He 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 versus division rivalsBaltimore Ravens, which the Steelers won 18-16. Waitman made his postseason debut in the Steelers’ 28-14 loss to the Ravens on January 11, 2025. During that game, he punted five times for a combined 257 yards (51.4 average).[25]
In 2025, he returned to the Steelers to compete with Johnston for the punter position during training camp and the team’s preseason games.[26] With Johnston released on August 25, Waitman officially became the Steelers’ starting punter for a second consecutive season.[27]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Punting | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pnt | Yds | Y/P | Lng | Blck | |||
| 2021 | PIT | 2 | 7 | 365 | 52.1 | 63 | 0 |
| 2022 | DEN | 17 | 96 | 4,470 | 46.6 | 59 | 0 |
| 2024 | PIT | 16 | 65 | 3,015 | 46.4 | 71 | 0 |
| Career | 35 | 168 | 7,850 | 46.7 | 71 | 0 | |
