Charlton Named to 2019 Ray Guy Preseason Watch List

COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina senior punter Joseph Charlton has been named to the 2019 preseason Ray Guy Watch List, it was announced today. The Ray Guy Award – named for football’s premier punter – honors the nation’s best collegiate punter. 
 
Charlton, a 6-5, 193-pounder from Columbia, earned a spot on the All-SEC second team as selected by the league’s coaches following the 2018 season. As a junior, Charlton set the school record by averaging 44.8-yards per punt, and is averaging a school-record 44.1 yards per punt throughout his career.
 
The 26 candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. The 2019 watch list was compiled based on the 2018 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top ten NCAA Punters from 2018, the 2018 All-Conference teams, the 2018 All-American Teams and the 2019 pre-season All-Conference Teams. 

The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens nominations next week. The complete list of candidates will be released on November 5th. In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists, who will be announced on November 19th. 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 November 25th. 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 airing on ESPN on Thursday, December 12, 2019.
 
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.