Arkansas senior punter Toby Baker was among 27 players to earn a spot on the preseason watch list for the 2016 Ray Guy Award, the Augusta Sports Council announced Thursday. Downing is one of 28 candidates named to the list. He averaged 39.4 yards per punt in 69 attempts.
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Wain has been UConn’s starting punter for the past two seasons and a year ago averaged 38.2 yards per punt with 22 inside the 20-yard line and 39 that were fair caught.
It’s not the first time that Downing has popped up on the award’s radar. Porebski finished last season as a semi-finalist for the award, alongside Ohio State’s Cameron Johnston, Florida’s Johnny Townsend, Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert, Wake Forest’s Alex Kinal, Texas A&M’s Drew Kaser, Colorado State’s Hayden Hunt, Syracuse’s Riley Dixon, San Jose State’s Michael Carrizosa and Utah’s Tom Hackett. On Nov. 1, 10 semifinalists will be named, with the three finalists announced Nov. 22. The award is given annually to the nation’s top college punter. He started 13 games and averaged 45.7 yards per punt, which was good enough for second in the SEC and eighth in the NCAA.
The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). This year’s victor will be presented during ESPN’s coverage of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 8 in Atlanta, Ga.
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The Ray Guy Award is named after the Pro and College Football Hall of Fame punter who starred in the Bay Area for the Oakland Raiders. The 22 awards boast over 700 years of tradition-selection excellence.
