Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Tim Spyers
Austin Barnes Named Candidate For Ray Guy Award
10/31/2016 1:20:00 PM | Football
The redshirt junior punter is just one-of-four Mid-American Conference punters to make the list
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University redshirt junior punter Austin Barnes (Fairview Heights, Ill.-O'Fallon) was named a candidate for the 2016 Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation's top collegiate punter, the Augusta Sports Council announced Monday, Oct. 31. The 66 candidates were nominated for the award by their school's sports information department.
The Fairview Heights, Ill. native has done a fantastic job when it comes to punting the football in 2016. Out of 42 punts, 19 have been downed inside the 20-yard line, and only four have gone into the end zone for a touchback. Moreover, his season average of 46.4 is ranked sixth in the country and second in the MAC. Barnes holds a career average of 43.3 yards, which is second all-time in Eastern Michigan history, while his 6,884 total yards ranks seventh all-time and his 50 punts downed inside the 20 rank tied for third.
Barnes was just one-of-four Mid-American Conference punters to make the list as Bowling Green's Joseph Davidson, Buffalo's Kyle DeWeen, and Kent State's Derek Adams were also named 2016 candidates for the honor.
The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists to be announced on Nov. 11. Following the semifinalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on Nov. 22. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner. The 2016 Ray Guy Award winner will be announced live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec.8.
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Ga. native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. 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 opponent's 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average return 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. Learn more about the Ray Guy Award at www.RayGuyAward.com.
The Augusta Sports Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to marketing the Augusta area as a destination for amateur sporting events. The ASC attracts, creates and supports dozens of sporting events and activities each year, generating a positive economic impact and enhancing the quality of life for residents of the greater Augusta community. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.
2016 Ray Guy Award Candidates:
Austin Barnes, Eastern Michigan
JK Scott, Alabama
Matt Haack, Arizona State
Toby Baker, Arkansas
Drew Galitz, Baylor
Sean Wale, Boise State
Joseph Davidson, Bowling Green
Jonny Linehan, Brigham Young
Kyle DeWeen, Buffalo
Dylan Klumph, California
Hayden Hunt, Colorado State
Worth Gregory, East Carolina
Stone Wilson, FIU
Johnny Townsend, Florida
Dalton Schomp, Florida Atlantic
Rigoberto Sanchez, Hawaii
Austin Rehkow, Idaho
Colin Downing, Iowa State
Cole Moos, Kansas
Derek Adams, Kent State
Grant McKinniss, Kentucky
Steven Coutts, Louisiana-Lafayette
Wade Lees, Maryland
Logan Laurent, Massachusetts
Spencer Smith, Memphis
Paul Justin Vogel, Miami
Kenny Allen, Michigan
Matt Bonadies, Middle Tennessee
Ryan Santoso, Minnesota
Logan Cooke, Mississippi State
Corey Fatony, Missouri
Alex Barta, Navy
Alfred James Cole, III, NC State
Tom Sheldon, North Carolina
Eric Keena, North Texas
Hunter Niswander, Northwestern
Cameron Johnston, Ohio State
Austin Seibert, Oklahoma
Zach Sinor, Oklahoma State
Bailey Cate, Old Dominion
Nick Porebski, Oregon State
Blake Gillikin, Penn State
Ryan Henry Winslow, Pittsburgh
Jack Fox, Rice
Tanner Blain, San Diego State
Michael Carrizosa, San Jose State
Sean Kelly, South Carolina
Jonathan Hernandez, South Florida
Jake Bailey, Stanford
Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse
Adam Nunez, TCU
Alex Starzyk, Temple
Trevor Daniel, Tennessee
Michael Dickson, Texas
Shane Tripucka, Texas A&M
Lumi Kaba, Texas State
Justin Wain, Connecticut
Caleb Houston, UCF
Chris Tilbey, USC
Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah
Aaron Dalton, Utah State
Alex Luna, UTEP
Nicholas Conte, Virginia
Billy Kinney, West Virginia
Jake Collins, WKU
Ethan Wood, Wyoming
The Fairview Heights, Ill. native has done a fantastic job when it comes to punting the football in 2016. Out of 42 punts, 19 have been downed inside the 20-yard line, and only four have gone into the end zone for a touchback. Moreover, his season average of 46.4 is ranked sixth in the country and second in the MAC. Barnes holds a career average of 43.3 yards, which is second all-time in Eastern Michigan history, while his 6,884 total yards ranks seventh all-time and his 50 punts downed inside the 20 rank tied for third.
Barnes was just one-of-four Mid-American Conference punters to make the list as Bowling Green's Joseph Davidson, Buffalo's Kyle DeWeen, and Kent State's Derek Adams were also named 2016 candidates for the honor.
The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists to be announced on Nov. 11. Following the semifinalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on Nov. 22. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner. The 2016 Ray Guy Award winner will be announced live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec.8.
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Ga. native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. 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 opponent's 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average return 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. Learn more about the Ray Guy Award at www.RayGuyAward.com.
The Augusta Sports Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to marketing the Augusta area as a destination for amateur sporting events. The ASC attracts, creates and supports dozens of sporting events and activities each year, generating a positive economic impact and enhancing the quality of life for residents of the greater Augusta community. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.
2016 Ray Guy Award Candidates:
Austin Barnes, Eastern Michigan
JK Scott, Alabama
Matt Haack, Arizona State
Toby Baker, Arkansas
Drew Galitz, Baylor
Sean Wale, Boise State
Joseph Davidson, Bowling Green
Jonny Linehan, Brigham Young
Kyle DeWeen, Buffalo
Dylan Klumph, California
Hayden Hunt, Colorado State
Worth Gregory, East Carolina
Stone Wilson, FIU
Johnny Townsend, Florida
Dalton Schomp, Florida Atlantic
Rigoberto Sanchez, Hawaii
Austin Rehkow, Idaho
Colin Downing, Iowa State
Cole Moos, Kansas
Derek Adams, Kent State
Grant McKinniss, Kentucky
Steven Coutts, Louisiana-Lafayette
Wade Lees, Maryland
Logan Laurent, Massachusetts
Spencer Smith, Memphis
Paul Justin Vogel, Miami
Kenny Allen, Michigan
Matt Bonadies, Middle Tennessee
Ryan Santoso, Minnesota
Logan Cooke, Mississippi State
Corey Fatony, Missouri
Alex Barta, Navy
Alfred James Cole, III, NC State
Tom Sheldon, North Carolina
Eric Keena, North Texas
Hunter Niswander, Northwestern
Cameron Johnston, Ohio State
Austin Seibert, Oklahoma
Zach Sinor, Oklahoma State
Bailey Cate, Old Dominion
Nick Porebski, Oregon State
Blake Gillikin, Penn State
Ryan Henry Winslow, Pittsburgh
Jack Fox, Rice
Tanner Blain, San Diego State
Michael Carrizosa, San Jose State
Sean Kelly, South Carolina
Jonathan Hernandez, South Florida
Jake Bailey, Stanford
Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse
Adam Nunez, TCU
Alex Starzyk, Temple
Trevor Daniel, Tennessee
Michael Dickson, Texas
Shane Tripucka, Texas A&M
Lumi Kaba, Texas State
Justin Wain, Connecticut
Caleb Houston, UCF
Chris Tilbey, USC
Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah
Aaron Dalton, Utah State
Alex Luna, UTEP
Nicholas Conte, Virginia
Billy Kinney, West Virginia
Jake Collins, WKU
Ethan Wood, Wyoming
Players Mentioned
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