Michigan State University Athletics
Ryan Eckley Ready to Compete in Senior Bowl
1/27/2026 1:27:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State All-American punter Ryan Eckley, the 2025 Big Ten Punter of the Year, is ready to showcase his skills at the Senior Bowl.
Eckley will compete this week on the National team in front of NFL coaches, scouts and personnel at the Panini Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Practices run from Tuesday to Thursday and the week culminates with the 77th annual Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2:30 p.m. ET in Hancock Whitney Stadium. NFL Network will provide coverage all week from Mobile and will televise the game live.
Eckley is the 90th all-time Spartan to compete at the prestigious Senior Bowl.
A LOOK AT ECKLEY'S SPARTAN CAREER
Eckley led the FBS in punting as a redshirt junior in 2025 with his career-high 48.5-yard average, which also ranked second best in an MSU single-season. He was named a second-team All-American by ESPN and the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association), and earned third-team honors from the AP. Eckley became the second Spartan to be named the Big Ten Punter of the Year and was also a first-team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches, media, AP and USA TODAY.
He led the Big Ten with 23 punts of 50-plus yards and ranked third in the conference with 20 punts inside the 20, including 10 inside the 10 and four downed at the 1-yard line. He was named the Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week following his performance in Week 2 in the double-overtime win over Boston College in which he averaged 54.7 yards per punt with all three punts downed inside the 20 and two at the 1.
Eckley's career punting average of 47.6 yards per punt not only ranks No. 1 in school history, surpassing Bryce Baringer (46.0 avg.), but also No. 1 in Big Ten history (previous: Tory Taylor of Iowa with 46.3-yard average from 2020-23).
Eckley also led the Big Ten in punting in 2024 (47.9-yard average) to earn second-team all-conference honors. He was a Freshman All-American in 2023 after averaging 46.7 yards per punt, including 24 of 50-plus yards and 23 inside the 20.
A native of Lithia, Florida, Eckley announced after the season that he was forgoing his senior season and entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
ABOUT THE SENIOR BOWL
The Panini Senior Bowl is widely recognized as the premier college football all-star game and the official first step in the NFL Draft process. For more than 76 years, Mobile, Alabama has proudly hosted this historic event, the longest continually running all-star game in football. Each year, the Senior Bowl draws more than 900 NFL personnel – including decision-makers from all 32 teams – and over 1,100 members of the national media. The game's impact is unmatched: the 2025 NFL Draft featured 106 Senior Bowl alumni, accounting for 40 percent of all selections. At the start of the NFL season, 561 former Senior Bowl players appeared on initial 53-man rosters, representing one-third of the entire NFL and 23 former players appeared on the NFL's annual Top 100 list. This remarkable success underscores the Senior Bowl's reputation as the proving ground for future NFL stars. The first game was played on Jan. 7, 1950, featuring two squads made up of all-star NFL Draft prospects playing at the Gator Bowl Stadium in Florida. The following year, the game moved to Mobile, Alabama, where it is still played today.
2026 NFL DRAFT DATES
The 2026 NFL Draft is set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
ALL-TIME SPARTANS IN THE SENIOR BOWL (90)
Adams, Flozell, OT, 1998
Allen, Jack, C, 2016
Andersen, Morten, K, 1981
Arbanas, Fred, E, 1961
Bagdon, Ed, C, 1950
Baker, Chris, TE, 2002
Banks, Carl, LB, 1983
Banks, Tony, QB, 1995
Baringer, Bryce, P, 2023
Beard, Thomas, C, 1971
Bell, Myron, DB, 1993
Bercich, Bob, B, 1960
Birchmeier, Mark, C, 1994
Brammer, Mark, TE, 1980
Brandstatter, Art, E, 1962
Brenner, Allen, B, 1969
Budde, Ed, T, 1963
Bullough, Chuck, LB, 1992
Bullough, Henry, G, 1955
Burbridge, Aaron, WR, 2016
Burroughs, James, DB, 1981
Chandnois, Lynn, B 1950
Coleman, Mill, FL, 1994
Cousins, Kirk, QB, 2012
Currie, Dan, C, 1958
Davis, Kellen, TE, 2008
Davis, Travis, DT, 1990
DeLamielleure, Joe, OT, 1973
DeMarco, Brian, OG, 1994
Dibble, Dorne, E, 1951
Dohoney, Don, E, 1954
Dorow, Al, B, 1952 # (MVP)
Drummond, Kurtis, S , 2015^
Eckley, Ryan, P, 2026
Edinger, Paul, K, 2000
Fields, Angelo, T, 1980
Fowler, Bennie, WR, 2014
Fredrickson, Rob, OLB, 1993
Garrett, Drake, B, 1968
Gordon, Richard, B, 1965*
Gibson Kirk, FL, 1979*
Hammonds, Juan, DE, 1994
Haygood, Herb, WR, 2002
Heyward, Connor, TE, 2022
Highsmith, Donald, B, 1970
Johnson, Bill, DL, 1992
Jones, Greg, LB, 2011
Kanicki, James, C, 1963
Kowalczyk, Walt, B, 1958
Kush, Frank, G, 1953
Langford, Jeremy, RB ^, 2015
Lewis, Isaiah, S, 2014
Linthicum, Brian, TE 2012
Lippett, Tony, WR/CB, 2015
Lowe, Gary, B, 1956
Lyons, Mitch, TE, 1992
Maidlow, Steve, LB, 1982
Mason, Derrick, WR, 1996
Mason, Don, G, 1950+
McAuliffe, Don, B, 1953
Miller, Jim, QB, 1993
Moore, Timothy, LB, 1988
Neal, Jim, C, 1954
Ninowski, Jim, B, 1958
Nystrom, Carl, G, 1956
Peterson, Julian, LB, 2000
Pitts, Alfred, C, 1978
Pryzbycki, Joseph, T, 1968+
Reed, Jayden, WR, 2023
Rison, Andre, WR, 1989
Robinson, Trenton, S, 2012
Robinson-Randall, Greg, OT, 2000
Rush, Jerry, T, 1965
Ryan, Ed, B, 1962
Scott, Gari, WR, 2000
Shaw, Scott, OG, 1998
Smith, Bubba, E, 1967 # *
Smith, Ed, QB , 1979
Smith, Robaire, DE, 2000
Stanton, Drew, QB, 2007
Swenson, Brett, K, 2010
Tamburo, Dick, C, 1953
Thomas, Lawrence, DL, 2016
Thornhill, Josh, LB, 2002
VanElst, Gary, T, 1973
Wells, Billy, B 1954
Willekes, Kenny, DE, 2020
Willis, Khari, S, 2019
Wojciechowski, John, OG, 1986
Zucco, Vic, B, 1957
Notes:
# named MVP
* won or shared outstanding back or lineman award
+ team captain or co-captain
^ participated in practice, but did not compete in all-star game due to injury
% invited, but only participated in interviews with NFL teams due to injury
Eckley will compete this week on the National team in front of NFL coaches, scouts and personnel at the Panini Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Practices run from Tuesday to Thursday and the week culminates with the 77th annual Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2:30 p.m. ET in Hancock Whitney Stadium. NFL Network will provide coverage all week from Mobile and will televise the game live.
Eckley is the 90th all-time Spartan to compete at the prestigious Senior Bowl.
A LOOK AT ECKLEY'S SPARTAN CAREER
Eckley led the FBS in punting as a redshirt junior in 2025 with his career-high 48.5-yard average, which also ranked second best in an MSU single-season. He was named a second-team All-American by ESPN and the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association), and earned third-team honors from the AP. Eckley became the second Spartan to be named the Big Ten Punter of the Year and was also a first-team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches, media, AP and USA TODAY.
He led the Big Ten with 23 punts of 50-plus yards and ranked third in the conference with 20 punts inside the 20, including 10 inside the 10 and four downed at the 1-yard line. He was named the Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week following his performance in Week 2 in the double-overtime win over Boston College in which he averaged 54.7 yards per punt with all three punts downed inside the 20 and two at the 1.
Eckley's career punting average of 47.6 yards per punt not only ranks No. 1 in school history, surpassing Bryce Baringer (46.0 avg.), but also No. 1 in Big Ten history (previous: Tory Taylor of Iowa with 46.3-yard average from 2020-23).
Eckley also led the Big Ten in punting in 2024 (47.9-yard average) to earn second-team all-conference honors. He was a Freshman All-American in 2023 after averaging 46.7 yards per punt, including 24 of 50-plus yards and 23 inside the 20.
A native of Lithia, Florida, Eckley announced after the season that he was forgoing his senior season and entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
ABOUT THE SENIOR BOWL
The Panini Senior Bowl is widely recognized as the premier college football all-star game and the official first step in the NFL Draft process. For more than 76 years, Mobile, Alabama has proudly hosted this historic event, the longest continually running all-star game in football. Each year, the Senior Bowl draws more than 900 NFL personnel – including decision-makers from all 32 teams – and over 1,100 members of the national media. The game's impact is unmatched: the 2025 NFL Draft featured 106 Senior Bowl alumni, accounting for 40 percent of all selections. At the start of the NFL season, 561 former Senior Bowl players appeared on initial 53-man rosters, representing one-third of the entire NFL and 23 former players appeared on the NFL's annual Top 100 list. This remarkable success underscores the Senior Bowl's reputation as the proving ground for future NFL stars. The first game was played on Jan. 7, 1950, featuring two squads made up of all-star NFL Draft prospects playing at the Gator Bowl Stadium in Florida. The following year, the game moved to Mobile, Alabama, where it is still played today.
2026 NFL DRAFT DATES
The 2026 NFL Draft is set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
ALL-TIME SPARTANS IN THE SENIOR BOWL (90)
Adams, Flozell, OT, 1998
Allen, Jack, C, 2016
Andersen, Morten, K, 1981
Arbanas, Fred, E, 1961
Bagdon, Ed, C, 1950
Baker, Chris, TE, 2002
Banks, Carl, LB, 1983
Banks, Tony, QB, 1995
Baringer, Bryce, P, 2023
Beard, Thomas, C, 1971
Bell, Myron, DB, 1993
Bercich, Bob, B, 1960
Birchmeier, Mark, C, 1994
Brammer, Mark, TE, 1980
Brandstatter, Art, E, 1962
Brenner, Allen, B, 1969
Budde, Ed, T, 1963
Bullough, Chuck, LB, 1992
Bullough, Henry, G, 1955
Burbridge, Aaron, WR, 2016
Burroughs, James, DB, 1981
Chandnois, Lynn, B 1950
Coleman, Mill, FL, 1994
Cousins, Kirk, QB, 2012
Currie, Dan, C, 1958
Davis, Kellen, TE, 2008
Davis, Travis, DT, 1990
DeLamielleure, Joe, OT, 1973
DeMarco, Brian, OG, 1994
Dibble, Dorne, E, 1951
Dohoney, Don, E, 1954
Dorow, Al, B, 1952 # (MVP)
Drummond, Kurtis, S , 2015^
Eckley, Ryan, P, 2026
Edinger, Paul, K, 2000
Fields, Angelo, T, 1980
Fowler, Bennie, WR, 2014
Fredrickson, Rob, OLB, 1993
Garrett, Drake, B, 1968
Gordon, Richard, B, 1965*
Gibson Kirk, FL, 1979*
Hammonds, Juan, DE, 1994
Haygood, Herb, WR, 2002
Heyward, Connor, TE, 2022
Highsmith, Donald, B, 1970
Johnson, Bill, DL, 1992
Jones, Greg, LB, 2011
Kanicki, James, C, 1963
Kowalczyk, Walt, B, 1958
Kush, Frank, G, 1953
Langford, Jeremy, RB ^, 2015
Lewis, Isaiah, S, 2014
Linthicum, Brian, TE 2012
Lippett, Tony, WR/CB, 2015
Lowe, Gary, B, 1956
Lyons, Mitch, TE, 1992
Maidlow, Steve, LB, 1982
Mason, Derrick, WR, 1996
Mason, Don, G, 1950+
McAuliffe, Don, B, 1953
Miller, Jim, QB, 1993
Moore, Timothy, LB, 1988
Neal, Jim, C, 1954
Ninowski, Jim, B, 1958
Nystrom, Carl, G, 1956
Peterson, Julian, LB, 2000
Pitts, Alfred, C, 1978
Pryzbycki, Joseph, T, 1968+
Reed, Jayden, WR, 2023
Rison, Andre, WR, 1989
Robinson, Trenton, S, 2012
Robinson-Randall, Greg, OT, 2000
Rush, Jerry, T, 1965
Ryan, Ed, B, 1962
Scott, Gari, WR, 2000
Shaw, Scott, OG, 1998
Smith, Bubba, E, 1967 # *
Smith, Ed, QB , 1979
Smith, Robaire, DE, 2000
Stanton, Drew, QB, 2007
Swenson, Brett, K, 2010
Tamburo, Dick, C, 1953
Thomas, Lawrence, DL, 2016
Thornhill, Josh, LB, 2002
VanElst, Gary, T, 1973
Wells, Billy, B 1954
Willekes, Kenny, DE, 2020
Willis, Khari, S, 2019
Wojciechowski, John, OG, 1986
Zucco, Vic, B, 1957
Notes:
# named MVP
* won or shared outstanding back or lineman award
+ team captain or co-captain
^ participated in practice, but did not compete in all-star game due to injury
% invited, but only participated in interviews with NFL teams due to injury
Players Mentioned
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