Michigan State University Athletics
Bryce Baringer Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List
7/27/2022 11:01:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State sixth-year graduate punter Bryce Baringer has been named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which is given annually by the Augusta Sports Council to the nation's top collegiate punter in the FBS.
Baringer is using his extra season of eligibility in 2022 and returns as the starting punter after a record-breaking season in which he set the MSU single-season record with his 48.4-yard punting average, a mark that also led the Big Ten and ranked No. 5 in the FBS. Baringer became the first Spartan punter to lead the Big Ten in punting since the late Mike Sadler in 2012.
In addition, Baringer's 48.4-yard average was also the second-best average in Big Ten history, second only to Iowa's Reggie Roby in 1981 (49.8 avg.). Baringer also ranked second in the conference in punts of 50-plus yards (26), including 10 of 60-plus yards, to earn second-team all-league honors.
The 49 candidates on the Ray Guy Award Watch List list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. The 2022 watch list was compiled based on the 2021 Ray Guy Award semifinalist list, the top 10 NCAA Punters from 2021, the 2021 all-conference teams, the 2021 All-American Teams, the 2022 preseason all-conference teams and eligible punters on the 2021 watch list.
In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 8. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on Nov. 18. 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 2022.
Baringer is using his extra season of eligibility in 2022 and returns as the starting punter after a record-breaking season in which he set the MSU single-season record with his 48.4-yard punting average, a mark that also led the Big Ten and ranked No. 5 in the FBS. Baringer became the first Spartan punter to lead the Big Ten in punting since the late Mike Sadler in 2012.
In addition, Baringer's 48.4-yard average was also the second-best average in Big Ten history, second only to Iowa's Reggie Roby in 1981 (49.8 avg.). Baringer also ranked second in the conference in punts of 50-plus yards (26), including 10 of 60-plus yards, to earn second-team all-league honors.
The 49 candidates on the Ray Guy Award Watch List list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. The 2022 watch list was compiled based on the 2021 Ray Guy Award semifinalist list, the top 10 NCAA Punters from 2021, the 2021 all-conference teams, the 2021 All-American Teams, the 2022 preseason all-conference teams and eligible punters on the 2021 watch list.
In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 8. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on Nov. 18. 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 2022.
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