The Augusta Sports Council announced today that Clemson punter Will Spiers has been named as one of 51 players on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award. Additional information from award organizers is included below.
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 51 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 ListAdam Korsak, RutgersAnthony Beck II, Georgia SouthernAustin McNamara, Texas TechBailey Flint, ToledoBen Griffiths, University of Southern CaliforniaBen Kiernan, University of North CarolinaBlake Hayes, IllinoisBrad Robbins, MichiganCharles Ouverson, Coastal CarolinaDaniel Davies, NavyIssac Power, BaylorIvan Mora, Wake ForestJack Brooks, University of South AlabamaJake Camarda, UGAJake Julien, Eastern MichiganJay Bramblett, Notre DameJohn Haggerty, Western KentuckyJonn Young, East CarolinaJordy Sandy, TCUKai Kroeger, University of South CarolinaKirk Christodoulou, PittKyle Greenwell, UABKyle Ulbrich, Middle TennesseeLachlan Wilson, TulsaLou Hedley, MiamiLucas Dean, UTSALuke Elzinga, Central MichiganMac Brown, Ole MissMatt Ference, NIUMatt Naranjo, Bowling GreenMatthew Hayball, Florida Atlantic UniversityMichael Turk, Arizona StateNick Mihalic, Western MichiganNik Constantinou, Texas A&MPaxton Brooks, University of TennesseePorter Wilson, DukeRhys Byrns, LousianaRyan Bujcevski, University of TexasRyan Hanson, Arkansas StateRyan Sanborn, StanfordRyan Stonehouse, Colorado StateRyan Wright, TulaneTom Hutton, Oklahoma StateTommy Heatherly, FIUTory Taylor, IowaTrent Schneider, University of South FloridaTrenton Gill, NC StateTucker Day, Mississippi StateWill Spiers, ClemsonXavier Subotsch, App StateZach Harding, Army
Ray Guy Award TimelineJuly 28 – Pre-season watch list announcedJuly 29 – Nomination period beginsNovember 1 – Nomination forms dueNovember 2 – Final candidate list announcedNovember 10 – 10 Semifinalists announcedNovember 11-21 – Online voting to determine finalistsNovember 23 – Three Finalists announcedNovember 24-30 – Online voting to select winnerDecember 9 – Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPNFebruary 2, 2022 – Banquet (Augusta)
About the Ray Guy AwardThe 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 CouncilThe 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.
