The college football award season is a time of celebration for players across the country. From the Heisman Trophy to the Outland Trophy, each award represents a specific skill set and is highly coveted by players.
However, one award we care more about than the others is the Ray Guy Award. This prestigious award is given annually to the nation’s top punter, and Australians have dominated this award in recent years.
On Friday’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show, Aussie Tory Taylor was announced as the winner of the 2023 Ray Guy Award. This was a well-deserved honor for the Iowa punter, who had an outstanding season.
In 2023, punters across the country delivered some exceptional performances, making the competition for the Ray Guy Award incredibly fierce. Taylor’s nomination as a finalist was a great achievement in itself, given the calibre of the other two finalists also both Australian. Melbournian Alex Mastromanno who plays for Florida State and Adelaidean Matthew Hayball playing for Vanderbilt.
Playing for an anemic offense helped Taylor who led the nation in punt yards at 4,119, what makes Taylor stand out is his net punt average of 43.8 yards, the highest of any punter with at least 51 boots this year. This combination of distance and accuracy made Taylor an unstoppable force on the field.
Mastromanno, on the other hand, was a master of the coffin corner punt. He consistently pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line and averaged 43.2 net yards per kick throughout the season.
Hayball, meanwhile, punted the ball 58 times and averaged 47.6 yards per kick, 43.7 of which were net yards. He was an expert at keeping his defense with plenty of grass behind them, even if his offense struggled at times.
While each of these punters had their moments in 2023, Taylor’s record-setting performance made him a clear choice for the Ray Guy Award this season. His dominance on the field was undeniable, and he was undoubtedly a runaway choice for the award.
Tory Taylor’s win in 2023 is just the latest in a long list of Australian who have won the award and is a testament to his incredible talent and dedication.
