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San Diego State special teams ace Matt Araiza picked up some hardware on Thursday night at ESPN’s 31st annual The Home Depot College Football Awards.
Araiza was named the 2021 Ray Guy Award winner as the nation’s top punter.
The junior punter leads the nation in punting with a gross average of 51.37. Of his 76 punts this season, Araiza had 36 in the 20 as well as 2 punts measure over 80 yards. He ranks first in FBS history in punt average (51.4 avg.), 60-yard punts (18), and 50-yard punts (39).
Congratulations to @matt_araiza for winning the @RayGuyAward for the nation’s best collegiate punter! #PuntGod https://t.co/mzpTTtaFOa pic.twitter.com/xChmuGrgbn
— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) December 10, 2021
Araiza was the heavy favorite to take home the honor this season, and the voters made that clear.
Congratulations to Araiza on the award.
DIsclaimer: Josh Sanchez is a Ray Guy Award voter and cast his vote for Araiza.
About the Ray Guy Award: The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia native and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times 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 with particular emphasis placed on net punting average. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team’s success.
