AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta Sports Council announced the pre-season watch list for the 2018 Ray Guy Award — which honors the nation's top collegiate punter — on Wednesday, with the list of 27 candidates including the University of South Alabama's Corliss Waitman.
Waitman has been recognized by numerous organizations entering the fall, as he was named preseason third-team All-America by Athlon Sports, and chosen preseason first-team all-Sun Belt Conference by the league's head coaches and selected media members on Monday. The Milton, Fla., resident has also earned preseason first-team all-Sun Belt honors from Athlon Sports, Lindy's, Phil Steele Publications and Street & Smith's.
As a junior in 2017, Waitman recorded a school-record average of 45.24 yards per punt that stood first in the conference and eighth nationally, and he also posted 26 kicks inside the opponent's 20-yard line with 21 punts of 50-plus yards. His efforts helped South end the campaign ranked first in the Sun Belt and seventh in the country in net punting, and as a result he was not only chosen first-team all-league but named an honorable mention selection on the inaugural All-American Punter team.
Waitman's career 43.38 average is the best mark with a minimum of 50 punts on the Jaguars' all-time record list.
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Ray Guy. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, the number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponent's 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.
In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 15. A national body of NCAA 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. 20. 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 on Thursday, Dec. 6.
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