AUGUSTA, Ga. - BYU punter Jonny Linehan was officially named a candidate for the 2015 Ray Guy Award which identifies the nation’s top collegiate punter, the Augusta Sports Council announced Friday.
Linehan joins 79 candidates for the honor. Candidates were nominated for the award by their school’s sports information department.
Out of Auckland, New Zealand, the 6-foot, 195-pound Linehan is in his first season as punter for the Cougars after winning three consecutive national championships with BYU rugby. The junior is averaging 43.9 yards per punt and currently has seven punts of 50 or more yards while landing 13 inside the 20-yard line.
In his college football debut, Linehan had five punts for 255 yards with two over 50 yards and two downed inside the 20-yard line, averaging 51 yards per punt in the 33-28 win over Nebraska. He also booted a 77-yarder in the third quarter against the Cornhuskers, No. 6 on the BYU all-time list for distance on a single punt. Against East Carolina, he rushed seven yards on a fourth-down conversion on BYU's initial go-ahead drive in the first quarter that led to a 21-14 tally with 8:05 left in the period.
The list will be narrowed to ten semifinalists to be announced on November 13. Following the semifinalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on November 23. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.
The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards, Thursday, December 10, at 7pm.