USF senior punter Mattias Ciabatti (Tampa) has been named to the 2015 Ray Guy Award Watch list as one of the top punters in college football. The award, which was created in 2000, is presented annually to the nation’s best collegiate punter.
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Monday, a 6-4, 210-pound native of Flowery Branch, Ga., was a 2014 Sports Illustrated honorable mention All-America team. He had a career-high five punts downed inside the 20 versus No. 14 Wisconsin during the season opener. He set a school record with 3,189 punting yards and averaged 44.9 yards per punt which ranked second on the SEC leaderboard and was the third-highest clip in school history. The Blue Devils’ average of 2.06 yards allowed a return was the nation’s third best. He is the league’s active leader in career punting average.
The Ray Guy Award, named after the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer, is awarded by the Augusta (Georgia) Sports Council. It is the first time Hunt has been named to the preseason watch list, though he was added to the midseason list the past two seasons.
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Ten semifinalists will be announced November 13, and a national body of FBS sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced November 23. Airing live on ESPN on December 10, 2015, college football’s brightest stars will be honored for their performance on and off the field.
