“Everybody knows Sam Foltz,” Harvin said.

Told of Harvin’s gesture, Foltz’s mother, Jill, said she had heard of a few other punters who had done similarly.

“All of it is kind of a double-edged sword in the fact that it tears at your heart because you then realize how many lives Sam touched,” Foltz said. “But on the flip side of it, it’s a beautiful thing to know that they want to honor him and he made a difference in their life.”

Foltz said the family had received more than 1,000 cards of condolence. A room in their home in Nebraska is “jam packed,” she said, with notes and memorabilia from fans whom her son impacted. Among the mementoes were No. 27 jerseys from several Big Ten opponents, and also a No. 27 jersey from a football player in Germany that the sender had worn in Sam’s honor last season.

The response, she said, “has been bigger than we would have ever, ever guessed.”

Harvin may honor No. 27 quite well. He is the only non-senior in the history of Kohl’s Kicking Camps to be named the top punter in the national, invitation-only camp and also the only punter to earn the top ranking twice.

“Tell Pressley hello,” Foltz said, “and tell him that we’ll be rooting for him.”