Utah Utes Punter Jack Bouwmeester Named Ray Guy Semifinalist
Nov 14, 2023, 3:33 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Punters are people too. Utah punter Jack Bouwmeester has reminded Ute fans of that in a big way in 2023 and is now a Ray Guy semifinalist for the efforts.
The announcement came Monday evening with Bouwmeester being named one of 10 semifinalists up for the award presented annually to the top punter in college football.
Bouwmeester currently leads the Pac-12 Conference and ranks No. 14 nationally with an average punt distance of 45.6 yards per attempt.
Congrats Jack Bouwmeester on being honored as a Ray Guy semifinalist ‼️ pic.twitter.com/hGhYjnGWea
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) November 14, 2023
The Aussie booter and the Utah punt team rank 12th in FBS with a net punt average of 42.18 yards which accounts for punt distance, opponent return yards and touchbacks.
Utah And The Ray Guy Award
From 2014-2016, no one was beating out a Utah punter for the Ray Guy award.
Aussie punter Tom Hackett became the first Ute to earn the award for his efforts “kicking bacon” and earned it one more time in 2015.
His predecessor, another Aussie, Mitch Wishnowsky took the award home in 2016.
The Utes have had a seven-year dry spell since, but Bouwmeester could be the guy to get them back on track as one of the best places for punters to go and be recognized in the country.
Jack Bouwmeester’s 2023 Season
Bouwmeester has been recognized by Ray’s 8 weekly honor three times this season against UCLA, Oregon State and Oregon. He has also been a Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week twice against Florida and Weber State.
At the mid-point of the season, Bouwmeester was named to the Athletic’s Midseason All-America Second Team.
Bouwmeester has sailed 15 punts for 50-plus yards in 2023 which is the most by a Utah punter since 2018. Bouwmeester’s career-long boot was a 64 yarder in the season-opener versus Florida.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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