TEMPE - Arizona State senior punter Matt Haack has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2016 Ray Guy Award, announced by the Augusta Sports Council on Thursday.
The Ray Guy Award, created in 2000 in honor of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, is annually presented to the nation's best collegiate punter.
The senior earned a spot on the midseason award list in each of the last two seasons, but it is the first time he has been slotted on the preseason watch list.
In 2015, Haack was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week for his performance against UCLA in Week 5 in which he punted eight times for 345 yards – 43.1 yards per punt – with five of them landing within the 20-yard line. One of those punts came late in the game to pin the Bruins at their own 1-yard line to help seal the game for the Devils.
Haack ranked 35th in the country and 4th in the Pac-12 last season in punting average at 43.05 yards. Nineteen of his 74 punts went for 50 or more yards (25.7 percent) while 32 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line (43.2 percent). Those 32 punts inside the 20 were the second-most in the nation and four more than any other player in the Pac-12 while his two touchbacks were tied for the lowest total in the nation as well.
Of his 74 punts last season, only 22 were returned (29.7 percent). Outside of four outlying returns (79, 45, 40 and 30 yards), Sun Devil opponents averaged a paltry 1.04 yards per ASU punting play on the 70 remaining punts last season when fair catches and downed balls were added to the mix. His 3,186 yards punted last season were good for 14th nationally while his long of 73 was the sixth best kick in the nation.
A Sun Devil has never won the award with Nick Murphy being the closest as a semifinalist in both 2000 and 2001.
The 27 candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times a 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. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team's success.
The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens for nominations in September. The complete list of candidates will be released on October 28. In early November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semi-finalists, who will be announced on November 11. 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 on November 22. 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 8, 2016.
2016 Sun Devil Award Watch Lists
Maxwell Award (America's College Player of the Year) – Demario Richard
Chuck Bednarik Award (College Defensive Player of the Year) – Salamo Fiso
John Mackey Award (Most Outstanding Tight End) – Kody Kohl
Ray Guy Award (Nation's Best Collegiate Punter) – Matt Haack
New Season Tickets for the 2016 Season
Secure your spot in Sun Devil Stadium. Season ticket deposits for the 2016 Sun Devil Football season are available now at www.sundeviltickets.com or by calling 480-965-5812. Deposits are applied to the cost of the season ticket and current season ticket holders do not have to place a deposit. Sun Devil Football's 2016 campaign begins with back-to-back games at the new and improved Sun Devil Stadium on Sept. 3 against Northern Arizona and Sept. 10 against Big 12 foe Texas Tech. ASU's six-game home schedule also includes defending Pac-12 South Co-Champion Utah and fellow conference opponents UCLA, Cal and Washington State.
The Ray Guy Award, created in 2000 in honor of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, is annually presented to the nation's best collegiate punter.
The senior earned a spot on the midseason award list in each of the last two seasons, but it is the first time he has been slotted on the preseason watch list.
In 2015, Haack was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week for his performance against UCLA in Week 5 in which he punted eight times for 345 yards – 43.1 yards per punt – with five of them landing within the 20-yard line. One of those punts came late in the game to pin the Bruins at their own 1-yard line to help seal the game for the Devils.
Haack ranked 35th in the country and 4th in the Pac-12 last season in punting average at 43.05 yards. Nineteen of his 74 punts went for 50 or more yards (25.7 percent) while 32 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line (43.2 percent). Those 32 punts inside the 20 were the second-most in the nation and four more than any other player in the Pac-12 while his two touchbacks were tied for the lowest total in the nation as well.
Of his 74 punts last season, only 22 were returned (29.7 percent). Outside of four outlying returns (79, 45, 40 and 30 yards), Sun Devil opponents averaged a paltry 1.04 yards per ASU punting play on the 70 remaining punts last season when fair catches and downed balls were added to the mix. His 3,186 yards punted last season were good for 14th nationally while his long of 73 was the sixth best kick in the nation.
A Sun Devil has never won the award with Nick Murphy being the closest as a semifinalist in both 2000 and 2001.
The 27 candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times a 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. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team's success.
The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens for nominations in September. The complete list of candidates will be released on October 28. In early November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semi-finalists, who will be announced on November 11. 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 on November 22. 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 8, 2016.
2016 Sun Devil Award Watch Lists
Maxwell Award (America's College Player of the Year) – Demario Richard
Chuck Bednarik Award (College Defensive Player of the Year) – Salamo Fiso
John Mackey Award (Most Outstanding Tight End) – Kody Kohl
Ray Guy Award (Nation's Best Collegiate Punter) – Matt Haack
New Season Tickets for the 2016 Season
Secure your spot in Sun Devil Stadium. Season ticket deposits for the 2016 Sun Devil Football season are available now at www.sundeviltickets.com or by calling 480-965-5812. Deposits are applied to the cost of the season ticket and current season ticket holders do not have to place a deposit. Sun Devil Football's 2016 campaign begins with back-to-back games at the new and improved Sun Devil Stadium on Sept. 3 against Northern Arizona and Sept. 10 against Big 12 foe Texas Tech. ASU's six-game home schedule also includes defending Pac-12 South Co-Champion Utah and fellow conference opponents UCLA, Cal and Washington State.