Ranking the Big Ten: Punter
As the 2025 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players at each position in the Big Ten.
We continue our annual Ranking the Big Ten series today with the punters, a group that looks very different from the 2024 season rankings. Four of the top five punters from 2024’s list have moved on.
Previous Ranking the Big Tens: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | OLB | DT |
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1. Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
Punter Ryan Eckley has a chance to go down as one of Michigan State’s best punters in history. He has a career punting average of 47.2 yards per punt, which would rank first in school history. In his career, he has 99 punts for 4,677 yards.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pound punter was a second-team All-Big Ten pick by the coaches and a third-team selection by the media in 2024. He led the conference with a 47.2-yard punting average last season. Eckley has kicked 44 punts that sailed over 50 yards, which is 44% of his punts. He also has five career punts of over 60 yards.
2. Rhys Dakin, Iowa
Iowa punter Rhys Dakin is coming off an outstanding freshman season. He was named a FWAA Freshman All-American and was on the PFF All-Ture Freshman team. The Australian was a second-team All-Big Ten pick by the media and was selected for the third team by the coaches.
He punted 64 times for 2,822 yards and an average of 44.1 yards per punt. Dakin’s number of punts led the Big Ten (64), and his total yards ranked second in the conference and eighth nationally. He also led the conference with 33 punts inside the 20-yard line.
As a freshman, Dakin recorded an 81.4 punt grade on PFF, which led the Big Ten and was the sixth highest nationally in 2024. He has the second-highest punt grade of returning punters behind Georgia’s Brett Thorson.
3. Atticus Bertrams, Wisconsin
The Badgers’ punter, Atticus Bertrams, recorded 55 punts for 2,491 yards in 2024. He earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention for his sophomore season. Bertrams averaged 45.3 yards per punt, second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. His 42.4 net yards is the second highest among returners in the conference.
The 6-foot-3 punter ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 21 punts inside the 20. Bertrams has pinned 48 punts inside the 20-yard line in his two seasons at Wisconsin. The Australian drilled the longest punt in the Big Ten, a 74-yard boot to pin USC at their one-yard line.
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He received the Ray Guy Award “Ray’s 8” honoree for his Week 9 performance against Penn State. The junior had five punts for an average of 51.4 yards. Bertrams helped fake a punt and get an important first down vs. the Nittany Lions.
4. Keelan Crimmins, Purdue
Keelan Crimmins is already in Purdue’s record books. His 44.9 yards per punt is ranked second in a single season in school history. That number also ranked 13th in FBS in 2024.
Crimmins punted 64 times for 2,871 yards after transferring from Mississippi State to Purdue. He placed 17 punts inside the 20-yard line and had 14 kicks of over 50 yards.
The 6-foot-3, 223-pound punter earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors from the league’s coaches and media in 2024.
5. Bryce McFerson, Maryland
Bryce McFerson, Maryland’s returning starting kicker, was also named to the Ray Guy Award “Ray’s 8” List for the first three weeks of the 2024 season. He averaged 46.7 yards per punt in the first three games and 45 yards per punt over the season.
The 6-foot-2, 201-pound punter pinned 23 punts inside the 20, second among Big Ten returners. The 2024 All-Big Ten honorable mention had 18 boots travel over 50 yards.
As a freshman at Notre Dame in 2023, McFerson averaged 45.1 yards per punt on 38 punts. His 60.5% return percentage was cut in half in his first season at Maryland (30.8%).
