IU Punter James Evans Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List

IU Athletics Release

August 19, 2022

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana sophomore punter James Evans has been named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award, honoring the nation’s top collegiate punter.
A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Evans averaged 41.9 yards per punt during his freshman season in 12 starts at the position. He hit 12 punts of 50-plus yards and pinned 13 inside the 20-yard line – five landing inside the 10-yard line. His long boot of 62 yards came against No. 2 Ohio State. 

Evans was a newcomer to American football, as he played rugby during his time in high school. He trained with Prokick Australia and moved to the United States in the spring of 2020 to enroll early at Indiana and participate in spring practice.

The Ray Guy Award committee will name ten semifinalists November 8th, before a national body of 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 November 18th. The winner will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing in December.

The Ray Guy Award - named for football's premier punter - honors the nation's best collegiate punter. The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) created the award in 2000. Along with other awards such as the Heisman Trophy and the Doak Walker Award, the Ray Guy Award honors an important member of any football team. The ASC presents the award live on The Home Depot College Football Awards broadcast on ESPN from Atlanta, Georgia. 

The Ray Guy Award winner is selected by a voting body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, national media and former Ray Guy Award winners. Punters are evaluated on their overall statistics and contribution to the team. Particular emphasis is placed on the following statistics: net average, percentage of total punts inside the 20-yard line and percentage of punts not returned. 

The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 23 awards boast 765 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about their story. 

Indiana Football 2022 Preseason Watch Lists
AFCA Good Works Team – Jack Tuttle
Doak Walker Award – Shawn Shivers
Wuerffel Trophy – Jack Tuttle

Paul Hornung Award – D.J. Matthews Jr.

Bednarik Award – Tiawan Mullen

Patrick Mannelly Award – Sean Wracher

Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award – Sio Nofoagatoto’a

Ray Guy Award – James Evans