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On Friday, Aug. 2, the Augusta Sports Council will release its watch list for the 2024 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. This award is named after legendary Oakland Raiders punter and Thomson, Ga. native Ray Guy.
Guy played football and baseball at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1970 to 1972. He booted multiple 70-yard punts throughout his career with the Golden Eagles and was selected as a first-team All-American in his final season. On the baseball diamond, he was a dominant pitcher, even throwing a no-hitter. In the 1973 NFL Draft, Guy was taken by the Raiders in the first round.
To date, he is still the only pure punter to be taken in the first round of the draft. Guy spent 14 seasons with the Raiders, winning three Super Bowls. He was a seven-time Pro-Bowler and eight-time first or second-team All-Pro. Guy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 72.
2023 Ray Guy Award Winner
Last season, Iowa punter Tory Taylor, affectionately known as the "Crocodile Punter," won the coveted award. With the Hawkeyes offense struggling for most of the year, Taylor was an absolute weapon. He punted 93 times with an average of 48.2 yards per punt. His longest of the year was 67 yards against Michigan in the Big Ten Conference championship game. Taylor was named a consensus All-American last season and was taken in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
College Football Dawgs has identified several punters capable of taking home this coveted award in 2024. As will be seen, Australian-born athletes are prominently featured in this group.
Kai Kroeger, South Carolina Gamecocks
Kroeger is heading into his fifth season as the starting punter in Columbia, S.C., and carries a 43.9-yard average punt. In 2022, Kroeger was named a first-team All-American and first-team All-Southeastern Conference after averaging 46.1 yards per punt and booming a 79-yarder against Georgia State. In 2023, Kroeger landed 22 punts inside the 20-yard line and allowed just 3.7 yards per return. Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks have been known to fake a few punts in the past, and Kroeger is 7 for 8 with over 200 yards through the air to go along with 3 touchdowns.
Brett Thorson, Georgia Bulldogs
When one thinks of Georgia, punting may not be the first thing that comes to mind. The Bulldogs have been dominant on offense and defense the last several years. However, they have one of the better special teams weapons in the SEC. Thorson averaged 43.8 yards per punt last season, knocking six punts further than 50 yards. More impressively, 14 of his 32 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Thorson will be a key part of flipping the field for the Dawgs in his junior season in 2024.
Ryan Eckley, Michigan State Spartans
Eckley is heading into his second year as the starting punter for the Spartans, where he has been dominant. He averaged 46.7 yards per punt in 2023, 24 of which were 50 yards or more and 4 boots of longer than 60 yards. Eckley dropped 23 of his 56 punts inside the 20-yard line, including 15 inside the 10-yard line. These numbers were strong enough to get Eckley named Freshman All-America and second-team All-B1G. New head coach Jonathan Smith will need Eckley to be just as dominant this year in East Lansing, Mich.
Jack Bouwmeester, Utah Utes
The Utes are heading into a new league this year: the Big 12 Conference. They bring with them a ton of experience and talent, including at the punter position. Bouwmeester is a Bendigo, Australia native who began his college football career at Michigan State in 2019. He did not see any game action during his time in East Lansing and transferred to Utah for the 2022 season. In his two years with the Utes, Bouwmeester has punted for over 4,000 yards, dropping almost 40 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line. He has launched 20 punts more than 50 yards, including a 64-yarder in last year's season opener against the Florida Gators. Bouwmeester was named first-team All-Pac 12 Conference and was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist in 2023.
Alex Mastromanno, Florida State Seminoles
A redshirt senior from Melbourne, Australia, Mastromanno has been a huge part of the Seminoles ascension over the past four years. In 2020, Mastromanno punted 35 times in just eight games, averaging 43.5 yards per punt. The next season, he landed 18 punts inside the 20-yard line and forced 33 fair catches. In 2022, he only punted 34 times, with 14 punts landing inside the 20. Last season, Mastromanno had his best year yet, averaging 45.5 yards per punt, good for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 15th in the country. Thanks to his big leg, the Noles were ranked third in net punting average. Mastromanno was named second-team All-ACC, second-team All-American and was a Ray Guy Award finalist.
Other punters who could make the watch list: Alabama's James Burnip, Colorado's Mark Vassett, Florida's Jeremy Crenshaw and Indiana's James Evans.
Check back in with College Football Dawgs after the official release of the Ray Guy Award watch list on Aug. 2 to see who we got right and who was left off the list.
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