Wil and Raelene Haberer, the parents of Vanderbilt punter Nick Haberer, quit their jobs to follow their son around the SEC in 2025. Courtesy of the Haberers
Wil and Raelene Haberer figured they were in for an adventure when they sold their house in June and moved from the Sunshine Coast of Australia to Nashville to follow their son Nick, the punter at Vanderbilt, for his final season of eligibility.
They'd seen Nick -- who previously played at Washington State -- punt in person only a couple of times and didn't want to miss anything in 2025.
Turns out these Aussies picked quite the year to experience SEC football. Vanderbilt won 10 games for the first time in program history, and did so against a schedule that featured road games at some of the sport's most iconic venues (Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee) and home games against LSU and Auburn, among others.
So, how did college football treat Wil and Raelene? Aside from a little sadness that came with watching Nick punt just 23 times in 12 games -- Vanderbilt's offense was too good! -- life in the SEC was quite the treat.
We asked them about their favorite stadiums, fans, college towns and road trips to get a sense of America's wackiest sport through the eyes of two Australian parents who, in every sense, have been living their best life since August.
The Haberers' first SEC road trip was to South Carolina, where Vanderbilt beat the Gamecocks 31-7 on Sept. 13. Nick punted three times -- a highlight -- but the Gamecocks' fans also left quite an impression on Wil and Raelene. Raelene said it was her favorite opposing stadium of the year. Wil said it won his superlative for best night game.
"It was just the atmosphere," Raelene said. "It was so loud in there, and I don't know, it just took my breath away just getting in there and listening to the music and the way it all hummed and pumped. It was amazing."
Wil said he'd give the nod to Ole Miss for an afternoon game. Even though Vanderbilt didn't play at Ole Miss this year, Washington State did, so the couple traveled to Oxford on Oct. 11 during Vanderbilt's idle week to catch up with old friends and see Nick's former team in action.
"It was just the friendliness of the place and I just really enjoyed the tailgate and just the whole (thing)," Wil said of the scene in Oxford. "I thought the fans were really nice fans, as well. There wasn't a lot of aggression about them. I suppose they kind of expected to win that game, so they probably weren't as rowdy as they could be.
"But Raelene's answer, too, impressed me. From a nightgame perspective, South Carolina's stadium, that was phenomenal. The light show, the music, the sound, the fact that we won the game. ... night game, yeah, South Carolina 100 percent."
Both of the Haberers said that Vanderbilt fans, of course, were their favorites. But outside of the Commodores, Wil's vote for best fans went to the Rebels again for their friendliness, with honorable mentions going to Auburn and Kentucky fans for giving them no problems when the Tigers and Wildcats visited Vanderbilt. Raelene gave the nod to Virginia Tech and South Carolina fans.
As for the rest of the SEC? Wil found Texas fans to be "a bit off-putting" and Tennessee fans, during the annual rivalry game with Vanderbilt, to be amped up and "pretty smart-mouthed."
But kudos to LSU fans, Wil said, for their passion -- both for their Tigers and for partying.
"LSU, definitely a different crowd," Wil said, laughing. "They were a bit cranky, but I will say one thing about LSU fans, I mean, the whole of Broadway (in downtown Nashville) was loaded with LSU fans. There were so many of them.
"Even in the game, when you sat in the stadium, you just thought, 'Oh jeez, these LSU fans are everywhere.'"
Their feelings about Texas fans aside, both Haberer parents loved their time roadtripping through the Lone Star State when Vanderbilt played in Austin on Nov. 1. The city of Austin wasn't their favorite but when they had the opportunity to pop into smaller towns like Luling, Boerne and Fredericksburg, in and around the Texas Hill Country, they found that those parts of Texas reminded them of home in Australia.
"I just really enjoyed that little town (Fredericksburg) and a few little towns before it. ... I quite enjoyed that," Raelene said.
"Fredericksburg is a gem of a town," Wil echoed. "It's full of wineries and stuff like that, and really cool little restaurants, German restaurants and stuff in Texas. It was a cool little town. I enjoyed that. ... Texas is an amazing place, I think, to travel by road."
Despite Vanderbilt losing at Alabama on Oct. 4, Wil said he also enjoyed the journey to Tuscaloosa.
"That was a cool road trip," he said. "We went to Birmingham first to hang out with the team and then we caught up with some friends in Tuscaloosa and hung out with them and went to the game, and we just had a really fun time."
The Haberers have had a blast exploring the culinary scene in Music City over the last three-plus months, with the brisket at Martin's Bar-B-Que coming in as a consistent favorite.
But Wil also raved about the "amazing" brisket in Texas, as well as their love for the brisket at Buc-ees. Perhaps in a surprising twist, both parents loved the food scene in Blacksburg, Va., when they visited Lane Stadium to see Vanderbilt take on the Hokies. The couple went into the heart of downtown Blacksburg, where Wil had barbecue chicken with fresh vegetables, salad and rice. Raelene enjoyed a Poke bowl.
"That was nice," she said. "They're my favorite because it's fresh food. I struggle to find fresh food. It's all fried here (in Nashville). They're my favorite."
Nothing, though, beats a burger in the States.
"I'm gonna be honest, if somebody in Australia asked me what my favorite food is in America, it's definitely a hamburger," Wil said. "I reckon Americans make the best hamburgers. Absolutely the best hamburgers on the planet."
Asked about their favorite moments of the season, the Haberers mentioned watching Vanderbilt almost mount a comeback on the road against Texas and getting to be by Nick's side on senior day in Nashville.
"We got to go down on the field, and we were there to support him through that and I think I'll feel very thankful that we had that opportunity," Raelene said.
The Haberers also recalled a fun moment when their status as proud Vanderbilt fans came in handy with an immigration officer midway through the season. To remain in compliance with the ESTA program -- which allows eligible travelers to stay in the United States for 90 days without a visa -- the Haberers went home to Australia for five days midseason. Even though they had spoken to an immigration lawyer and felt confident about their chances of returning to the United States after such a short time, as opposed to after 90 additional days at home, the attorney had told them that so long as they had all of their paperwork and a legitimate reason for their return, they should be in good shape. Still, whether or not they'd be allowed back into the U.S. would be at the discretion of the immigration officer checking them in at the airport.
"We were standing in line and this (officer) just sort of pulls up to the booth and we sort of jumped into that line luckily enough and he was a big Vanderbilt fan and we were wearing our Vanderbilt gear," Wil said.
"When he first asked, 'Why are you here?', (we said) 'Well, our son plays for Vanderbilt,'" Raelene continued. "And that's when he went. 'Vanderbilt?! Oh yeah. Your quarterback!' And Wil goes, 'Diego (Pavia)! Oh yeah. He's our friend!' That sort of thing. It was hilarious."
The Haberers also reflected on the College Football Playoff system and how confusing they found the whole thing to be, especially compared to sports in Australia, where decisions are based on clear standards and procedures.
"I sit back and look at the rules, how do they come up with all that rubbish?" Wil said. "I just think it's too much conjecture and confusion. ... it's not clear cut."
Next up, they'll head to Tampa, Fla., for one last Vanderbilt game when the Commodores take on Iowa in the Reliaquest Bowl, then it's off to California for a quick family trip for Nick's birthday. A season they'll never forget. A time in their life they'll always cherish.
"We're here (in Nashville) now," Raelene said. "We're here for Christmas with Nikolas, so he gets to stay here and then fly out on the 26th to Florida, and we'll also fly out to Florida, and we'll have our whole bags packed. And then we'll head from Florida (to California).
"(We'll) have five days there or four days and then head back to Australia and he'll head back to Nashville. ... It's time for us to go. So we bought our flight home."