From Pat McAfee to Tory Taylor, punters are becoming more of a popular commodity. Whether it is people genuinely enjoying what punters bring to the game or just meme-ing because it’s funny, punters bring another level to college football. Games are won and lost on field position every year. This year, a handful of Big Ten punters landed on the Ray Guy Award watchlist.
The Ray Guy Award is for the nation’s best punter. It is awarded by the Augusta Sports Council which has been handing out the award since 2000. To date, five Big Ten punters have taken home the award. Iowa and Rutgers were home to the last two winners, so could we see a Big Ten threepeat?
This year, five Big Ten punters landed on the Ray Guy Award preseason shortlist. Preseason watchlist season continues!
Five Big Ten Punters Land on Ray Guy Award Watchlist.
Brian Buschini, Nebraska
One of the older players on the Ray Guy Award watchlist, sixth-year punter Brian Buschini has been a special teams weapon for the Cornhuskers. For his first three seasons, Buschini punted for Montana at the FCS level and was the 2021 FCS Punter of the Year and First-Team All-American. With Nebraska, Buschini punted 57 times for 40.7 yards per punt. 20 of those were downed inside the 20 and forced 19 fair catches.
Eddie Czaplicki, USC
Another former transfer, Eddie Czaplicki made his mark with the Arizona State Sun Devils. As a true freshman, he was the full-time punter and launched 45 punts for an average of 42.2 yards. His sophomore year was even better, sending 50 punts for 46 yards per punt. After the 2022 season, he jumped into the transfer portal and landed with the Trojans. Last year, he punted the ball 44 times for an average of 43.3 yards each.
In his career, 35% of his punts were downed within the opponent’s 20-yard line and he has a career-long of 75 yards (2022).
He has also handled kickoff duties for USC.
James Evans, Indiana
For the last three seasons, James Evans has been the go-to punter for the Hoosiers. As a freshman, Evans launched 69 punts at a clip of 41.8 yards per. As a sophomore, he took a step forward with 75 punts for 44.3 yards per. His 30 punts downed inside the 20 and 13 punts downed inside the 10 were third-best in the nation. Last year, Evans was a media Third-Team All-Big Ten selection after hitting 57 punts for a career-best 45.8-yard average.
His 43.9 yards per punt in his career is currently notched at ninth-best in Big Ten history.
Riley Thompson, Penn State
Another Aussie on the Ray Guy Award watchlist, Riley Thompson transferred to Penn State before the 2023 season. He was with the Florida Atlantic Owls for three years and was the full-time punter in 2022. In that season, he punted 61 times with a long of 71 yards. He had an impressive 45.4 yards per punt average, good for second in Conference USA. 20 of those punts were downed inside the 20. With the Nittany Lions, Thompson added 50 punts for 45.8 yards per punt average. He had 17 punts downed within the 20 and had 15 punts that traveled over 50 yards.
Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
Finally, Ryan Eckley burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman. He is coming off a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection to go with this FWAA First-Team Freshman All-American honors. Eckley hit 55 punts on the year for an average of 46.8 yards per. That mark was good for second-best in the Big Ten and ninth-best in the nation. He launched 24 punts over 50 yards including a season-long 67-yarder. That 67-yarder was one of four 60+ yard punts on the year. He landed 23 punts inside the 20.
Eckley is expected to be the top punter in the Big Ten. He has preseason First-Team All-Big Ten honors from Athlon Sports, USA Today, and Phil Steele.
