Spiers Placed on Ray Guy Award Watch List
Augusta, GA (July 28, 2021) - The Augusta Sports Council has announced the pre-season watch list for the 2021 Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate punter.
The 50 candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. The 2021 watch list was compiled based on the 2021 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top ten NCAA Punters from 2020, the 2020 All-Conference teams, the 2020 All-American Teams, the 2021 pre-season All-Conference Teams and punters on the 2020 watchlist.
The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens nominations on July 29. The complete list of candidates will be released on November 2nd. In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists, who will be announced on November 10th. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on November 23. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation’s top punter. The winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN on Thursday, December 9, 2021.
2021 Ray Guy Award Pre-Season Watch List:
Adam Korsak - Rutgers
Anthony Beck II - Georgia Southern
Austin McNamara - Texas Tech
Bailey Flint - Toledo
Ben Griffiths - University of Southern California
Ben Kiernan - University of North Carolina
Blake Hayes - Illinois
Brad Robbins - Michigan
Charles Ouverson - Coastal Carolina
Daniel Davies - Navy
Issac Power - Baylor
Ivan Mora - Wake Forest
Jack Brooks - University of South Alabama
Jake Camarda - UGA
Jake Julien - Eastern Michigan
Jay Bramblett - Notre Dame
John Haggerty - Western Kentucky
Jonn Young - East Carolina
Jordy Sandy - TCU
Kai Kroeger - University of South Carolina
Kirk Christodoulou - Pitt
Kyle Greenwell - UAB
Kyle Ulbrich - Middle Tennessee
Lachlan Wilson - Tulsa
Lou Hedley - Miami
Lucas Dean - UTSA
Luke Elzinga - Central Michigan
Mac Brown - Ole Miss
Matt Ference - NIU
Matt Naranjo - Bowling Green
Matthew Hayball - Florida Atlantic University
Michael Turk - Arizona State
Nick Mihalic - Western Michigan
Nik Constantinou - Texas A&M
Paxton Brooks - University of Tennessee
Porter Wilson - Duke
Rhys Byrns - Lousiana
Ryan Bujcevski - University of Texas
Ryan Hanson - Arkansas State
Ryan Sanborn - Stanford
Ryan Stonehouse - Colorado State
Ryan Wright - Tulane
Tom Hutton - Oklahoma State
Tommy Heatherly - FIU
Tory Taylor - Iowa
Trenton Gill - NC State
Tucker Day - Mississippi State
Will Spiers - Clemson
Xavier Subotsch - App State
Zach Harding - Army
Ray Guy Award Timeline
July 28 - Pre-season watch list announced
July 29 - Nomination period begins
November 1 - Nomination forms due
November 2 - Final candidate list announced
November 10 - 10 Semifinalists announced
November 11-21 - Online voting to determine finalists
November 23 - Three Finalists announced
November 24-30 - Online voting to select winner
December 9 - Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN
February 2, 2022 - Banquet (Augusta)
About the Ray Guy Award
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia native and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned with particular emphasis placed on net punting average. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team's success.
About the Augusta Sports Council
The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) enriches the quality of life and economic well-being for the Augusta metropolitan area by supporting and attracting sporting activities. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.
About the National College Football Awards Association
The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about the association.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling preseason watch lists over a 10-day period this month. 16 of the association's 25 awards will present their preseason watch list during this time as the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Following is the complete 2021 preseason watch list calendar:
Mon., July 19: Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award
Tue., July 20: Davey O'Brien Award
Wed., July 21: Doak Walker Award
Thu., July 22: Biletnikoff Award
Fri., July 23: John Mackey Award, Rimington Trophy
Mon., July 26: Butkus Award, Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
Tue., July 27: Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy
Wed., July 28: Lou Groza Award, Ray Guy Award
Thu., July 29: Paul Hornung Award, Wuerffel Trophy
Fri., July 30: Walter Camp Award