2019 Football Roster
Roster
Jake Hartbarger
- Position:
- P
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 194
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Waterville, Ohio
- High School:
- Anthony Wayne
CAREER NOTES: Four-year letterwinner (2015-17, 2019) tied a Michigan State record by playing in 54 career games . . . received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA for the 2019 season after suffering a season-ending leg injury during Week 2 of the 2018 season at Arizona State . . . finished his career ranked among MSU’s all-time leaders in punting yards (fourth with 10,554), punts (fourth with 249) and punting average (sixth with 42.39 ypp) . . . had 55 punts of 50-plus yards . . . placed 89 of 249 career punts (.357) inside the 20 and 45 inside the 10 (.181) . . . had nine punts of 60-plus yards for career . . . tied a school record by being named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team five times . . . was one of 10 Spartans to help volunteer with the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts during the 2017 bye weekend (Sept. 15-17, 2017) in Houston and was Michigan State’s 2017 nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy . . . was the starting punter on the 2015 Big Ten Championship team that reached the College Football Playoff . . . graduated with his bachelor’s degree in hospitality business in 2018 and a master’s degree in marketing research in 2019.
2019 SEASON (SENIOR): Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List early in the season and was named to the finalist list in November . . . earned honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches & media) . . . earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the fifth time . . . received the team’s MSU Football Players Association Community Service Award . . . ranked fifth in the Big Ten in punting average (43.2 ypp) . . . had 17 punts of 50-plus yards . . . pinned 18 inside the 20 and eight inside the 10 . . . had at least one punt of 60-plus yards in four games . . . in his 54th and final collegiate game against Wake Forest in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, averaged 45.0 yards per punt (four punts for 180 yards) with a long of 54 yards and one punt inside the 20 . . . posted pair of punts in Maryland game for a 47.0 ypp average with a long of 53 yards . . . punted twice at Rutgers for a 39.5 ypp average with 0 return yards . . . recorded six punts for a 40.0 ypp average with two inside the 20 at Michigan, with a long of 49 yards . . . had six punts for a 39.5 ypp average against Illinois with a long of 46 yards and one inside the 20 . . . punted seven times for 31.1 ypp average with long of 44 yards in Penn State game . . . punted a season-high nine times for 43.1 ypp average at Wisconsin, with a season-long tying 61 yards, one of three of 50+, also tying season-best, and pinning one inside the 10 . . . named to the Ray Guy Award’s Ray’s 8 for week 5 by Augusta Sports Council after he punted season-high seven times for a 46.9 ypp average at Ohio State, with season-high four inside the 20 and one inside the 10, booming a 60-yarder, one of two of 50+ yards . . . averaged a career-long 54.2 yards per punt (four punts for 217 yards) against Indiana, booming a 60-yarder in the second quarter as one of three of 50+ yards, and placed two inside the 20 . . . punted six times for a 47.0 ypp average at Northwestern with three of 50+ yards, led by a long of 55-yards, as well as two inside the 20, with one inside the 10 . . . posted four punts for a 45.0 ypp average against Arizona State with two of 50+, including a 55-yarder, pinning two inside the 20 with one inside the 10, ending night with a -3 net punt return against for the game . . . punted a career-low tying once in Western Michigan and not until just over six minutes left in game, hitting a 42-yarder that was muffed and fumbled by the WMU returner, and MSU recovered at WMU 24, setting up last TD of night . . . returned to action from injury in booming fashion in season opener vs. Tulsa, drilling a 61-yarder and a 57-yarder as part of five punts for 47.4 ypp average with two of 50+ and two inside the 20, both inside the 10.
2018 SEASON (SENIOR): Suffered a lower leg injury in the fourth quarter at Arizona State, forcing him to miss the rest of the season . . . booted four punts for a career-best 53.5 ypp average with a career-long 74-yard punt at Arizona State, being downed at the 6, one of two inside the 20 as well as one of two of 50+ yards, adding a 52-yarder, before suffering injury . . . the 74-yard punt tied for the eighth-longest punt in MSU history . . . punted twice in season opener vs. Utah State with a 39.5 yards per punt average with a long of 49 yards.
2017 SEASON (JUNIOR): Named recipient of the MSU Downtown Coaches Club Award (most outstanding player: special teams) . . . honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media . . . named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and made the Academic All-Big Ten Team for the third year in a row . . . ranked eighth in the B1G and 58th in FBS with a 42.0 yards per punt average . . . had a career-high 2,895 punting yards, topping the 2,000-yard mark for the third straight season . . . only allowed 12 punt returns for 31 punt return yards all season (2.6 ypr) with a long of 10 yards . . . MSU’s punt return defense led the Big Ten and ranked No. 3 in the FBS . . . also registered career highs in punts (69), punts inside the 20 (28) and punts inside the 10 (15) . . . had 12 punts of 50+ yards . . . had two punts for 40.5 ypp average against No. 18 Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, with a long of 52 yards and one inside the 20 . . . punted just once at Rutgers, booming a 52-yarder, marking third time in career with only one punt in a game . . . had seven punts for a 37.3 ypp average with a long of 54 yards against Maryland, pinning three inside the 20, including one inside the 10; limited Maryland’s DJ Moore to just one return for 2 yards, after he entered the game ranked second in the B1G and 19th in FBS in punt returns at 11.8 ypr . . . punted eight times for a 45.5 ypp average at No. 11 Ohio State with two of 50+ yards with a 57-yarder and a 58-yarder, and had three inside the 20, with one fair caught just outside the 10, holding OSU to just 3 punt return yards on three returns . . . had six punts for a 38.7 ypp average against No. 7 Penn State, including two inside the 20 and both were inside the 10 with one touchback . . . had punt downed at the 1-yard line for second game in a row, one of two punts inside the 20 at Northwestern, ending with four punts for a 41.8 ypp average versus the Wildcats . . . boomed career-long 62-yarder that was downed at the Indiana 1-yard line as part of two punts over 50 yards and one of three inside the 20 and two inside the 10, finishing with eight punts for a 46.2 ypp average against the Hoosiers . . . limited IU’s J-Shun Harris to just 10 punt return yards on three returns (3.3 ypr) after Harris came into game leading the B1G and ranking second in the country in punt return average with 23.3 ypr . . . punted twice at Minnesota, with a 36.0 ypp average with a long of 48 and one inside the 20 . . . punted career-high 11 times vs. No. 7 Michigan for career-high 430 punting yards for a 39.1 ypp average, including several in windy, rainy conditions, and limited Michigan punt return to just 2.0 ypr on three returns, including two that were returned for negative yards . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week against the Wolverines . . . pinned all five of his punts in the Iowa game inside the 20 including four inside the 10 as part of a 38.6 ypp average, as all five were not returned on four fair catches and one out-of-bounds, earning Spartans’ “The One” Award and the Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week . . . tied his season-long with 57-yard punt as part of three punts against Notre Dame, finishing with a 49.0 ypp average . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week against Western Michigan after he registered six punts for a 38.7 ypp average with a long of 47, pinning two inside the 20, with both being inside the 10, plus another at the 20, against Western Michigan, earning Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week honors . . . punted six times in Bowling Green game with a 49.0 ypp average with a long of 57 yards as part of three punts of 50+ yards, and pinned three inside the 20, including one inside the 10.
2016 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Tied for sixth in the Big Ten in punting (40.9 avg.) . . . placed 37.0 percent of his punts (20-of-54) inside the 20, while 20.4 percent of his punts (11-of-54) were pinned inside the 10 . . . punted five times at No. 8 Penn State for 46.4 ypp average with a long of 58 yards, tying his second longest of the season, and had one inside the 20 . . . tied season high with seven punts against No. 2 Ohio State for a 40.6 ypp average with a long of 53 yards and two inside the 20, including one inside the 10 . . . logged five punts for a 39.8 ypp average against Rutgers with a long of 48 yards and one inside the 20 . . . punted four times at Illinois for a 36.5 ypp average with two pinned inside the 10 . . . had one punt for 49 yards vs. No. 2 Michigan . . . pinned all four of his punts inside the 20 at Maryland, finishing with a 32.8 ypp average, with one inside the 10 . . . had a season-long 61-yard punt vs. Northwestern as part of five punts for a 46.2 ypp average with three inside the 20 and two inside the 10, and added a 42-yard free kick following a safety . . . punted five times for a 37.8 ypp average vs. BYU . . . had five punts for an average of 39.4 ypp at Indiana with a then-season-long 59-yarder as well as pinning one inside the 10 . . . boomed two of his three punts in the Wisconsin game for over 50 yards, including a 57-yarder for his fourth-longest punt of career, finishing with 51.0 ypp average, his second-best outing of career, with one inside the 20 . . . punted seven times for a 38.0 yards per punt average at No. 18 Notre Dame, getting three inside the 20 including two inside the 10, highlighted by one downed at the 1 . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Furman game, punting three times for a 44.7 yards per punt average . . . placed three punts inside the 20, and two inside the 10 against the Paladins.
2015 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): Ranked fourth in the Big Ten in punting (42.7 avg.) in his first year as a starter . . . named second-team Freshman All-American by CampusInsiders.com . . . named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by BTN.com and ESPN.com . . . Academic All-Big Ten selection . . . had 17 punts of 50-plus yards . . . placed 21 of his 57 punts (.368) inside the 20 and 10 inside the 10 (.175) . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week a team-best five times . . . set season highs for punts (9) and punting yards (411) against No. 2 Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinal; both of those totals rank second most by a Spartan in a bowl game . . . dropped two of his four punts inside the 20 and had a season-long 61-yarder vs. No. 4 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game . . . named Spartan Special Teams Co-Player of the Week for his performance in the win at No. 2 Ohio State; placed three of his five punts inside the 20, including a 51-yarder that pinned the Buckeyes on their own 7-yard line with 5:49 left in the fourth quarter, setting up MSU’s game-winning field goal drive . . . averaged 42.4 yards on seven punts (297 yards) against Maryland, including a season-best four kicks inside the 20 . . . named Spartan Special Teams Co-Player of the Week vs. Maryland . . . booted a 60-yard punt and also placed one at the Husker 9-yard line with under a minute to play in the game at Nebraska; averaged 45.0 yards on three punts (135 yards) . . . averaged 42.5 yards per punt (four for 170 yards) vs. Indiana, including a 56-yarder and one inside the 10 . . . put two of his five punts inside the 20, including one at the Purdue 4, and had a 52-yard punt against the Boilermakers . . . placed two of his three punts inside the 20 vs. Central Michigan . . . booted two of his three punts 50-plus yards and placed one inside the 10 vs. Air Force . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 51.4 yards on five punts (257 yards), including four of 50-plus yards and one inside the 20, vs. No. 7 Oregon . . . averaged 47.2 yards per punt (seven punts for 443 yards) in his collegiate debut at Western Michigan, including two inside the 20 and two of 50-plus yards . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week against the Broncos.
2014 SEASON: Redshirted . . . named Scout Team Special Teams Co-Player of the Week against Michigan.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Participated in 2014 Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Fla. . . . ranked among the nation’s top punters by 247Sports.com (No. 1) and Kohl’s Professional Camps (No. 2) . . . rated among the country’s top kickers by ESPN.com (No. 4) . . . listed among the Midwest’s top prospects by ESPN.com (No. 73) . . . named to PrepStar’s All-Midwest Team . . . ranked among Ohio’s top seniors by ESPN.com (No. 29) . . . three-time first-team all-district punter for Coach Craig Smith at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, Ohio . . . three-time All-Northern Lakes League selection as a kicker . . . averaged 43.0 yards on 30 punts (1,290 yards) as a senior, including a career-long 77-yarder, while earning first-team All-NLL honors as the punter . . . placed 11 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line in 2013, including seven kicks downed inside the 10 . . . also hit four punts 50-plus yards as senior . . . hit 5-of-7 field-goal attempts in 2013, including a season-long 30-yarder, and 33-of-34 extra-point tries . . . third-team All-Ohio selection as the punter as a junior . . . two-time first-team All-Blade selection (2012: punter; 2011: kicker) . . . named second-team All-NLL punter in 2012 . . . received special mention All-Ohio honors as a kicker as a sophomore . . . averaged 42.2 yards on 60 career punts (2,534 yards) . . . scored 138 career points for the Generals, converting 10-of-18 field-goal attempts (.556), including a career-best 42-yarder, and 108-of-115 PATs (.939) . . . son of Toby and Wendi Hartbarger . . . born May 31, 1995 . . . graduated with his bachelor's degree in hospitality business in December 2018.
