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Texas' Jack Bouwmeester named to Ray Guy Award watch list

On3 imageby: Justin Wells08/01/25
Jack Bouwmeester
Sep 14, 2024; Logan, Utah, USA; Utah Utes punter Jack Bouwmeester (34) punts against the Utah State Aggies at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Texas Football senior punter Jack Bouwmeester was named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award, the Augusta Sports Council announced Friday. The Ray Guy Award honors the nation’s top FBS punter.

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Longhorn legend Michael Dickson was the 2017 recipient of the Ray Guy Award and was also a finalist in 2016.

A Utah transfer, Bouwmeester is a first-year punter for the Longhorns. The Bendigo, Australia, native played in all 39 games for Utah from 2022-24 and was a two-time all-conference selection (2023 AP Pac-12 First Team and 2024 Big 12 Second Team). He has been tabbed to the Ray Guy Award preseason watch list in back-to-back years and was semifinalist for the award in 2023.

In 2024, he punted in all 12 games for the Utes and served as the primary holder on field goal and PAT attempts. He boomed 60 punts, leading the Big 12 in the regular season (14th among Power Four teams) with an average of 44.7 yards per punt with 13 of his punts going for 50+ yards. He booted three punts for 60+ yards, including a season-long 62-yarder vs. UCF. He pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line nine times, including five times against BYU.

As a sophomore in 2023, he punted 55 times for 2,503 yards with an average of 45.5 yards per punt, placing opponents inside the 20-yard line 20 times and smacking a career-high 19 punts for 50+ yards. He ranks sixth in Utah program history with a career average distance of 43.6 yards per punt, and his career average ranked fourth among active Big 12 punters at the end of the 2024 regular season.

The complete list of candidates for the Ray Guy Award will be released on Nov. 5, and in mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision sports information directors, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists to be announced in late November. 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 Dec. 12.

Bouwmeester and the Longhorns open the 2025 season on the road at Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game will broadcast as part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for three hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and other ESPN personalities. It will be the final show for longtime ESPN personality Lee Corso as he is set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.

(via Texas release)

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