Arellano named Ray Guy Award candidate

Augusta, Ga. -- The Augusta Sports Council has announced the nominees for the 2013 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation’s top collegiate punter. Among the 85 candidates is BYU junior punter Scott Arellano.

Arellano averages 41.2 yards per punt with eight punts of 50 yards or more. His season high is 59 yards.

The list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists to be announced Nov. 8. Following the semi-finalists announcement, a national body of FBS sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified Nov. 25. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.

The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on The Home Depot College Football Awards live Thursday, Dec.12 at 7:30 pm EST on ESPN. The show, hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will feature live presentation of nine player awards, along with the recipients of Disney’s Spirit Award, The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team. 

2013 Ray Guy Award Candidates

• Zach Paul, Akron
• Cody Mandell, Alabama
• Sam Irwin-Hill, Arkansas
• Steven Clark, Auburn
• Spencer Roth, Baylor
• Nate Freese, Boston College
• Brian Schmiedebusch, Bowling Green State University
• Scott Arellano, BYU
• Cole Leininger, California
• Richard Hogan, Central Michigan
• Darragh O’Neill, Colorado
• Hayden Hunt, Colorado State
• Cole Wagner, Connecticut
• Will Monday, Duke
• Trent Tignor, East Carolina
• Austin Barnes, Eastern Michigan
• Kyle Christy, Florida
• Cason Beatty, Florida State
• Sean Poole, Georgia Tech
• Richie Leone, Houston
• Austin Rehkow, Idaho
• Justin DuVervois, Illinois
• Connor Kornbrath, Iowa
• Kirby Van Der Kamp, Iowa State
• Trevor Pardula, Kansas
• Mark Krause, Kansas State
• Anthony Melchiori, Kent State
• Landon Foster, Kentucky
• Justin Manton, Louisiana-Monroe
• Logan McPherson, Louisiana Tech
• Ryan Johnson, Louisville
• Tyler Williams, Marshall
• Nathan Renfro, Maryland
• Tom Hornsey, Memphis
• Pat O’Donnell, Miami (FL)
• Zac Murphy, Miami (OH)
• Mike Sadler, Michigan State
• Josh Davis, Middle Tennessee
• Peter Mortell, Minnesota
• Baker Swedenburg, Mississippi State
• Christian Brinser, Missouri
• Pablo Beltran, Navy
• Sam Foltz, Nebraska
• Chase Tenpenny, Nevada
• Ben Skaer, New Mexico
• Cayle Chapman-Brown, New Mexico State
• Thomas Hibbard, North Carolina
• Tyler Wedel, Northern Illinois
• Kyle Brindza, Notre Dame
• Cameron Johnston, Ohio State
• Jed Barnett, Oklahoma
• Kip Smith, Oklahoma State
• Tyler Campbell, Ole Miss
• Alejandro Maldonado, Oregon
• Keith Kostol, Oregon State
• Matt Yoklic, Pittsburgh
• Cody Webster, Purdue
• Nick Marsh, Rutgers
• Jamie McConeghy, San Diego State
• Mike Loftus, SMU
• Ben Rhyne, Stanford
• Riley Dixon, Syracuse
• Ethan Perry, TCU
• Paul Layton, Temple
• Michael Palardy, Tennessee
• Austin Fera, Texas
• Drew Kaser, Texas A&M
• Will Johnson, Texas State
• Zach Robinson, Texas State
• Ryan Erxleben, Texas Tech
• Vince Penza, Toledo
• Will Scott, Troy
• Peter Picerelli, Tulane
• Hunter Mullins, UAB
• Caleb Houston, UCF
• Logan Yunker, UNLV
• Kris Albarado, USC
• Tom Hackett, Utah
• Taylor Hudston, Vanderbilt
• Alec Vozenilek, Virginia
• A.J. Hughes Virginia Tech
• Nicholas O’Toole, West Virginia
• Hendrix Brakefield, Western Kentucky
• Justin Schroeder, Western Michigan
• Drew Meyer, Wisconsin

The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Ga., native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ray Guy. The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a national voting body of sports writers, college coaches, sports information directors and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponent's 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team’s success. Learn more about the Ray Guy Award at www.RayGuyAward.com.

The Augusta Sports Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to marketing the Augusta area as a destination for amateur sporting events. The ASC attracts, creates and supports dozens of sporting events and activities each year, generating a positive economic impact and enhancing the quality of life for residents of the greater Augusta community. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.

The Ray Guy Award is a member of the NCFAA, which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 21 awards boast 678 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about its story.