Max Dean doesn’t have the typical Australia-to-college football story to tell as a punter at Washington State University .

It would be better summarized as a plumbing-to-punting tale - one that has taught him lessons in extreme patience and perseverance.

Dean has been one of the Cougars’ top performers this season. His 44.2-yard punting average ranks 24th in the country, but it’s been the Gisborne, Australia, native’s accuracy that has caught first-year coach Kirby Moore’s attention.

“Really good job by him,” Moore said.

But for a kid who had played Australian rules football since he was 5, American football never really came on his radar.

Plumbing, however, did.

A different kind of career path

Washington State Cougars punter Max Dean. | Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletics

It started in Year 10 of school when he worked two days a week as an apprentice.…