NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University freshman punter Bailey Cate has been named one of 66 candidates for the 2016 Ray Guy Award. The Ray Guy Award identifies the nation's top collegiate punter at the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards every year in December.
Cate has punted 37 times so far this season for an average of 38.8 yards per punt. He has had 15 of his punts land inside the 20, while 16 of his boots have been fair caught. His 70-yarder at NC State was his longest of the season and the 12th longest so far this season in FBS.
The following list will be narrowed down to ten semifinalists to be announced on Friday, November 11. Following the 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 three finalists who will be identified on Tuesday, November 22. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner. The 2016 Ray Guy Award winner will be announced live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 8.
2016 Ray Guy Award Candidates:
- JK Scott, Alabama
- Matt Haack, Arizona State
- Toby Baker, Arkansas
- Drew Galitz, Baylor
- Sean Wale, Boise State
- Joseph Davidson, Bowling Green
- Jonny Linehan, Brigham Young
- Kyle DeWeen, Buffalo
- Dylan Klumph, California
- Hayden Hunt, Colorado State
- Worth Gregory, East Carolina
- Austin Barnes, Eastern Michigan
- Stone Wilson, FIU
- Johnny Townsend, Florida
- Dalton Schomp, Florida Atlantic
- Rigoberto Sanchez, Hawaii
- Austin Rehkow, Idaho
- Colin Downing, Iowa State
- Cole Moos, Kansas
- Derek Adams, Kent State
- Grant McKinniss, Kentucky
- Steven Coutts, Louisiana-Lafayette
- Wade Lees, Maryland
- Logan Laurent, Massachusetts
- Spencer Smith, Memphis
- Paul Justin Vogel, Miami
- Kenny Allen, Michigan
- Matt Bonadies, Middle Tennessee
- Ryan Santoso, Minnesota
- Logan Cooke, Mississippi State
- Corey Fatony, Missouri
- Alex Barta, Navy
- Alfred James Cole, III, NC State
- Tom Sheldon, North Carolina
- Eric Keena, North Texas
- Hunter Niswander, Northwestern
- Cameron Johnston, Ohio State
- Austin Seibert, Oklahoma
- Zach Sinor, Oklahoma State
- Bailey Cate, Old Dominion
- Nick Porebski, Oregon State
- Blake Gillikin, Penn State
- Ryan Henry Winslow, Pittsburgh
- Jack Fox, Rice
- Tanner Blain, San Diego State
- Michael Carrizosa, San Jose State
- Sean Kelly, South Carolina
- Jonathan Hernandez, South Florida
- Jake Bailey, Stanford
- Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse
- Adam Nunez, TCU
- Alex Starzyk, Temple
- Trevor Daniel, Tennessee
- Michael Dickson, Texas
- Shane Tripucka, Texas A&M
- Lumi Kaba, Texas State
- Justin Wain, Connecticut
- Caleb Houston, UCF
- Chris Tilbey, USC
- Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah
- Aaron Dalton, Utah State
- Alex Luna, UTEP
- Nicholas Conte, Virginia
- Billy Kinney, West Virginia
- Jake Collins, WKU
- Ethan Wood, Wyoming