Augusta Sports Council Announces 2025 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List

Augusta, GA (August 1, 2025) – The Augusta Sports Council is pleased to announce the Preseason Watch List for the 2025 Ray Guy Award. Named for football’s premier punter, the Ray Guy Award honors the nation’s top collegiate punter in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

2025 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List
Atticus Bertrams, Wisconsin
Alex Smith, Georgia Southern
Brett Thorson, Georgia
Cole Maynard, Western Kentucky
Devin Bale, Arkansas
Jack Bouwmeester, Texas
Jack Stonehouse, Syracuse
Jacob Ulrich, Oklahoma
John Henderson, Bowling Green
Logan Lupo, Florida Atlantic
Luke Freer, Air Force
Palmer Williams, Baylor
Rhys Dakin, Iowa
Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
Tyler White, Texas A&M

The candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of FBS punters and were compiled based on the 2024 Ray Guy Award Semifinalists, 2024 All-American, and All-Conference selections, top performing punters, and 2025 Preseason All-American, and Preseason All-Conference selections.

This is not a final list as the winner of the Ray Guy Award does not need to appear on the preseason watch list. The number of eligible candidates for the award will grow when the award opens nominations, and candidates will be added to the watch list throughout the season. The complete list of candidates will be released on November 5, and in mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists.

A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision sports information directors, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists to be announced in late November. 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 in December.

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 are net punting average, percentage of punts inside the 20-yard line, and percentage of punts not returned, with particular emphasis placed on net 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) supports the many facets of local, national, and international sporting events that contribute to our community’s quality of life and economic development. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org

About the NCFAA

The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.

Following is the remaining 2025 preseason watch list calendar: