AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn senior punter Oscar Chapman has been named to the Ray Guy Award preseason watch list, one of 50 recognized for the potential to be college football's best punter in 2023, the Augusta Sports Council announced Wednesday.
Entering his fourth season as Auburn's starting punter, Chapman was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist in 2022, when he ranked fourth in the SEC averaging 43.9 yards on 57 punts.
Chapman ranked second in the SEC as a sophomore in 2021 averaging 44.1 yards per kick.
Chapman arrived on the Plains from Australia in 2020, when he averaged 41.1 yards on 28 punts as a freshman.
The 50 candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. The 2023 watch list was compiled based on the 2022 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top ten NCAA Punters from 2022, the 2022 All-Conference teams, the 2022 All-American Teams, the 2023 pre-season All-Conference Teams and eligible punters on the 2022 watchlist.
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.
The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens nominations on August 3. The complete list of candidates will be released on November 6th. In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 10.
A national body of 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 winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards The Home Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN in December 2023.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer