IRVING, Texas — BYU punt returner and wide receiver Parker Kingston was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week today for his performance in the Cougars’ 41-21 win over UCF on Saturday.
The 5-11, 185-pound junior from Layton, Utah, returned the first UCF punt of the second half 55-yards for a touchdown to give BYU a commanding 31-14 lead midway through the third quarter.
Kingston leads the Big 12 with 185 total punt return yards and 13.2 yards per return this season. He is the only Big 12 player with a punt return touchdown this season.
Saturday's touchdown is the third punt return touchdown of Kingston’s BYU career, having returned two for scores last season. He is now just one shy of the BYU punt return touchdown record of four, held by James Dye (1995–1996) and Golden Richards (1970–1971).
Kingston also led BYU with six catches for 126 yards and another touchdown in the win over the Knights.
On the year Kingston leads BYU with 57 receptions for 804 yards (14.1 average) and five touchdowns to go along with 22 rushes for 108 yards (4.7 avg) and three more scores. The junior returner also has 14 punt returns for 185 yards (13.2) and a touchdown.
In Big 12 rankings, Kingston is currently second in 100-yard receiving games (4), fourth in punt return yards (185), sixth in total receptions (57) and reception yards (804), eighth in receptions per game (4.75) and ninth in yards per game (67) and all-purpose yards (1092).
In July, Kingston was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List for a second-consecutive season. The award is presented annually to the most versatile player in college football at the Division 1 FBS level. Twice during the 2025 season Kingston has been named to the weekly Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for his efforts as a triple threat wideout, runner and punt returner.
Kingston played in all 12 games as a redshirt freshman for the Cougars in 2023. He finished the year with 19 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown. He also threw two touchdown passes, had six kickoff returns for 164 yards and 11 punt returns for 51 yards.