Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston, despite being tied first nationally for fewest puts and second in fewest punts per game, is one of ten semifinalists for the 2016 Ray Guy Award. This is the third consecutive year he has been named a semifinalist for the annual award given to the nation’s top punter award.
Johnston ranks fourth nationally with a 47.5-yard average and his punts. Ohio State ranks fourth nationally in net punting with a 42.6-yard average.
Johnston led the Big Ten in punting twice and he’s currently more than five yards ahead of the Big Ten’s No. 2 punter.
He is also on the cusp of setting a school single season record held by Tom Tupa (47.1 average in 1984) and is one-tenth of a yard behind Andy Groom’s career punting average record of 45.0 yards, set from 2001-02. Johnston’s career average is 44.9.
The Geelong, Australia native graduated from Ohio State in three years with a degree in sport industry.
The full semifinalist list:
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| AUSTIN BARNES | EASTERN MICHIGAN | JUNIOR |
| NICHOLAS CONTE | VIRGINIA | SENIOR |
| STEVEN COUTTS | LOUISIANA–LAFAYETTE | SOPHOMORE |
| JOSEPH DAVIDSON | BOWLING GREEN | JUNIOR |
| MICHAEL DICKSON | TEXAS | SOPHOMORE |
| HAYDEN HUNT | COLORADO STATE | SENIOR |
| CAMERON JOHNSTON | OHIO STATE | SENIOR |
| ZACH SINOR | OKLAHOMA STATE | SOPHOMORE |
| JOHNNY TOWNSEND | FLORIDA | JUNIOR |
| MITCH WISHNOWSKY | UTAH | SOPHOMORE |
Of note, Johnston replaced fellow semifinalist Johnny Townsend at Ohio State when Townsend flipped to Will Muschamp's Florida on National Signing Day 2013.
