AUGUSTA, Georgia — The Augusta Sports Council today announced BYU punter Ryan Rehkow was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week for the first week of the 2023 college football season. He was selected from among the Ray’s 8 honorees announced on Monday.
Rehkow played a big role in the Cougars 14-0 win over Sam Houston State on Saturday, flipping the field on several occasions. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior punted nine times for a total of 479 yards. His gross average was 53.2 yards and his net average was 49.1, due to having four punts returned for just 17 yards. Four of Rehkow’s punts were downed inside the Bearkat’s 20-yard line and two of his punts went for 64 and 65 yards.
Others honored on the Ray’s 8 week-one list included Austin McNamara, Texas Tech; Brett Thorson, Georgia; James Evans, Indiana; James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State; Max Fletcher, Arkansas; Tory Taylor, Iowa; and Tyler Perkins, Iowa State.
In early August 2023, Rehkow was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list for the third consecutive year. He was also selected to the 2023 Phil Steele Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team after finishing last year with a punting average at 46.2.
At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Rehkow was named to the 2022 Associated Press All-Bowl Team and the College Football Network All-Independent First Team.
The previous year he was selected the 2021 Pro Football Network Independent Punter of the Year and was also named to the PFN All-Independent First Team as well as the Phil Steele All-Independent First Team. Rehkow was a Ray’s 8 honoree in week five of the 2021 season for his performance at Utah State.
A finance major, with a 3.74 GPA, Rehkow was named CSC Academic All-District in 2023 and was selected CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team in 2022. He graduated in April with a degree in finance from the BYU Marriott School of Management.
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia, native and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 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. 10. 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 Nov. 22. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation’s top punter.
The 2023 Ray Guy Award winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN in December 2023.