Per GoBearcats:
Cincinnati sophomore punter Mason Fletcher was announced on Tuesday as one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to college football’s top punter.
Fletcher, a native of Melbourne, Australia, is joined by Rutgers’ Adam Korsak and Michigan State’s Bryce Baringer as finalists.
The winner will be announced on the 32nd annual The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 8 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Fletcher ranks fourth nationally in average (46.7) and the Bearcats’ net average of 44.69 sits second-best in the country. He has boomed 28 punts inside the 20 and sent 14 at least 50 yards with only two touchbacks in 55 attempts.
Fletcher is a two-time AAC Special Teams Player of the Week and was selected as the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week earlier this season.
He shattered UC and AAC records at SMU last month. Fletcher booted an incredible 84-yard punt in the first quarter against the Mustangs, breaking the 46-year-old Cincinnati record by six yards as well as the AAC record by five yards. The previous UC mark of 78 yards was set by Mike Connell in 1976.
Fletcher sent each of his three punts at least 50 yards with two dropping inside the 20-yard line versus SMU. His 65.0 average also shattered the UC and AAC marks, and remains the best single-game average in college football in 2022. Current Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber held the old UC mark of 58.7 – set in 2007.
He is the third Bearcat to be named a finalist for the prestigious punting award, joining Kevin Huber (2008) and James Smith (2018).
Fletcher is looking to join Coby Bryant (2021 Jim Thorpe Award) and Jonathan Ruffin (2000 Lou Groza Award) as national award winners for Cincinnati.
