Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU’s Julien Named to the 2021 Ray Guy Award Watch List
7/28/2021 10:00:00 AM | Football
The award is given annually to the nation’s best punter
AUGUSTA, Ga. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University senior punter Jake Julien (Barrie, Ontario-North Collegiate) has been named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, which is presented annually to the nation's top punter. The announcement was made today, July 28, by the Augusta Sports Council.
Julien, who earned the honor for the third time, is one of six Mid-American Conference punters named to the 51-man watch list.
The candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. The 2021 watch list was compiled based on the 2021 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top 10 NCAA Punters from 2020, the 2020 All-Conference teams, the 2020 All-American Teams, the 2021 preseason all-conference teams and punters on the 2020 watchlist.
Drafted No. 31 overall by the Ottawa RedBlacks in the 2021 Canadian Football League Draft, Julien has built his special teams resume into one of the best in school history. He is tied with Rich Hanschu (1979-80) for first in the EMU record books with a 43.4-yard career punting average and ranks eighth in EMU history with 7,383 yards punting. Julien is the only punter in Eastern Michigan history to record two 70+ yard punts in his career. Through four seasons, he has 51 balls downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line to go along with 37 that traveled longer than 50 yards.
Recognized as a nominee for the Ray Guy Award in 2018 and 2020, Julien led the MAC in punting while ranking eighth nationally (44.25 yards per punt) during his most recent campaign with Eastern. He booted 16 punts for 708 yards (44.25 ypp total would rank third in EMU history if a minimum of 20 punts were reached). The senior had six punts for 44.2 yards per punt against Toledo, Nov. 18, with two downed inside the 20-yard line. He twice pinned the opponent inside the 20 against Central Michigan, Nov. 27. Overall, he recorded two punts of 50+ yards and forced opponents into fair catches on seven occasions. For his efforts, he was named to Phil Steele's All-MAC Team, as a third-team selection, in 2020.
Additionally, Julien was named fourth team preseason All-American by Phil Steele's College Football Preview, the publication released earlier this month. He was the only MAC student-athlete to crack the listing.
The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens nominations on July 29. The complete list of candidates will be released on Nov. 2. In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 10. A national body of FBS sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on Nov. 23. 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, Dec. 9, 2021.
2021 Ray Guy Award Pre-Season Watch List:
Adam Korsak Rutgers
Anthony Beck II Georgia Southern
Austin McNamara Texas Tech
Bailey Flint Toledo
Ben Griffiths University of Southern California
Ben Kiernan University of North Carolina
Blake Hayes Illinois
Brad Robbins Michigan
Charles Ouverson Coastal Carolina
Daniel Davies Navy
Issac Power Baylor
Ivan Mora Wake Forest
Jack Brooks University of South Alabama
Jake Camarda UGA
Jake Julien Eastern Michigan
Jay Bramblett Notre Dame
John Haggerty Western Kentucky
Jonn Young East Carolina
Jordy Sandy TCU
Kai Kroeger University of South Carolina
Kirk Christodoulou Pitt
Kyle Greenwell UAB
Kyle Ulbrich Middle Tennessee
Lachlan Wilson Tulsa
Lou Hedley Miami
Lucas Dean UTSA
Luke Elzinga Central Michigan
Mac Brown Ole Miss
Matt Ference NIU
Matt Naranjo Bowling Green
Matthew Hayball Florida Atlantic
Michael Turk Arizona State
Nick Mihalic Western Michigan
Nik Constantinou Texas A&M
Paxton Brooks University of Tennessee
Porter Wilson Duke
Rhys Byrns Lousiana
Ryan Bujcevski University of Texas
Ryan Hanson Arkansas State
Ryan Sanborn Stanford
Ryan Stonehouse Colorado State
Ryan Wright Tulane
Tom Hutton Oklahoma State
Tommy Heatherly FIU
Tory Taylor Iowa
Trent Schneider University of South Florida
Trenton Gill NC State
Tucker Day Mississippi State
Will Spiers Clemson
Xavier Subotsch App State
Zach Harding Army
Ray Guy Award Timeline
July 28 - Pre-season watch list announced
July 29 - Nomination period begins
Nov. 1 - Nomination forms due
Nov. 2 - Final candidate list announced
Nov. 10 - 10 Semifinalists announced
Nov. 11-21 - Online voting to determine finalists
Nov. 23 - Three Finalists announced
Nov. 24-30 - Online voting to select winner
Dec. 9 - Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN
Feb. 2, 2022 - Banquet (Augusta)
About the Ray Guy Award
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.
About the Augusta Sports Council
The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) enriches the quality of life and economic well-being for the Augusta metropolitan area by supporting and attracting sporting activities. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.
About the National College Football Awards Association
The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about the association.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling preseason watch lists over a 10-day period this month. 16 of the association's 25 awards will present their preseason watch list during this time as the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates.
Julien, who earned the honor for the third time, is one of six Mid-American Conference punters named to the 51-man watch list.
The candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters. The 2021 watch list was compiled based on the 2021 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top 10 NCAA Punters from 2020, the 2020 All-Conference teams, the 2020 All-American Teams, the 2021 preseason all-conference teams and punters on the 2020 watchlist.
Drafted No. 31 overall by the Ottawa RedBlacks in the 2021 Canadian Football League Draft, Julien has built his special teams resume into one of the best in school history. He is tied with Rich Hanschu (1979-80) for first in the EMU record books with a 43.4-yard career punting average and ranks eighth in EMU history with 7,383 yards punting. Julien is the only punter in Eastern Michigan history to record two 70+ yard punts in his career. Through four seasons, he has 51 balls downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line to go along with 37 that traveled longer than 50 yards.
Recognized as a nominee for the Ray Guy Award in 2018 and 2020, Julien led the MAC in punting while ranking eighth nationally (44.25 yards per punt) during his most recent campaign with Eastern. He booted 16 punts for 708 yards (44.25 ypp total would rank third in EMU history if a minimum of 20 punts were reached). The senior had six punts for 44.2 yards per punt against Toledo, Nov. 18, with two downed inside the 20-yard line. He twice pinned the opponent inside the 20 against Central Michigan, Nov. 27. Overall, he recorded two punts of 50+ yards and forced opponents into fair catches on seven occasions. For his efforts, he was named to Phil Steele's All-MAC Team, as a third-team selection, in 2020.
Additionally, Julien was named fourth team preseason All-American by Phil Steele's College Football Preview, the publication released earlier this month. He was the only MAC student-athlete to crack the listing.
The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens nominations on July 29. The complete list of candidates will be released on Nov. 2. In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 10. A national body of FBS sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on Nov. 23. 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, Dec. 9, 2021.
2021 Ray Guy Award Pre-Season Watch List:
Adam Korsak Rutgers
Anthony Beck II Georgia Southern
Austin McNamara Texas Tech
Bailey Flint Toledo
Ben Griffiths University of Southern California
Ben Kiernan University of North Carolina
Blake Hayes Illinois
Brad Robbins Michigan
Charles Ouverson Coastal Carolina
Daniel Davies Navy
Issac Power Baylor
Ivan Mora Wake Forest
Jack Brooks University of South Alabama
Jake Camarda UGA
Jake Julien Eastern Michigan
Jay Bramblett Notre Dame
John Haggerty Western Kentucky
Jonn Young East Carolina
Jordy Sandy TCU
Kai Kroeger University of South Carolina
Kirk Christodoulou Pitt
Kyle Greenwell UAB
Kyle Ulbrich Middle Tennessee
Lachlan Wilson Tulsa
Lou Hedley Miami
Lucas Dean UTSA
Luke Elzinga Central Michigan
Mac Brown Ole Miss
Matt Ference NIU
Matt Naranjo Bowling Green
Matthew Hayball Florida Atlantic
Michael Turk Arizona State
Nick Mihalic Western Michigan
Nik Constantinou Texas A&M
Paxton Brooks University of Tennessee
Porter Wilson Duke
Rhys Byrns Lousiana
Ryan Bujcevski University of Texas
Ryan Hanson Arkansas State
Ryan Sanborn Stanford
Ryan Stonehouse Colorado State
Ryan Wright Tulane
Tom Hutton Oklahoma State
Tommy Heatherly FIU
Tory Taylor Iowa
Trent Schneider University of South Florida
Trenton Gill NC State
Tucker Day Mississippi State
Will Spiers Clemson
Xavier Subotsch App State
Zach Harding Army
Ray Guy Award Timeline
July 28 - Pre-season watch list announced
July 29 - Nomination period begins
Nov. 1 - Nomination forms due
Nov. 2 - Final candidate list announced
Nov. 10 - 10 Semifinalists announced
Nov. 11-21 - Online voting to determine finalists
Nov. 23 - Three Finalists announced
Nov. 24-30 - Online voting to select winner
Dec. 9 - Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN
Feb. 2, 2022 - Banquet (Augusta)
About the Ray Guy Award
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.
About the Augusta Sports Council
The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) enriches the quality of life and economic well-being for the Augusta metropolitan area by supporting and attracting sporting activities. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.
About the National College Football Awards Association
The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about the association.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling preseason watch lists over a 10-day period this month. 16 of the association's 25 awards will present their preseason watch list during this time as the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates.
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