Ray Guy Award experience fruitful for CSU punter Hayden Hunt

Hayden Hunt won’t pretend that winning the Ray Guy Award was a childhood dream; he didn’t start punting until he got to college.

But since he arrived at CSU in 2012, he’s had one achievement on his mind: Be honored as college football’s best punter.

Thursday, he came close. And the good news is, he’ll get another chance.

Hunt, a junior, was one of two runner ups for the Ray Guy Award at the College Football Awards in Atlanta, finishing behind Utah’s Tom Hackett, who took home the trophy last year. San Jose State’s Michael Carrizosa was the other finalist.

"I've played both of them, so I met them before. Usually, we're competing on the field; this time we were competing for an award," Hunt said. "Congrats to Tom Hackett for back-to-back Ray Guys. Hopefully, me and Michael Carrizosa will be there next year competing for it again.

"Of course I wanted the award. I'm a competitor. I want to win in every aspect of my life, but, you know, it doesn't always pan out that way ... I'm looking forward to the offseason and improving myself as a punter for CSU, and we still have a bowl game to win."

The highlight of the trip, Hunt said, was meeting Ray Guy himself, whom the Colorado State University punter admitted he was star struck by. The conversation they had at dinner Wednesday was particularly useful, taking tips on how to punt in difficult conditions.

"He's a hero of mine," Hunt said. "When you're sitting down at dinner and someone pulls up a plate next to you and it's one of the best punters of all time — probably the best punter of all time — it catches you off guard when he asks you to pass the A1 Sauce."

Hunt, named to USA TODAY’s All-American second team, leads the nation in percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line (48.8 percent) and is responsible for the fewest touchbacks (one); his net-punting average of 43.4 yards ranks second nationally. Twelve of his punts this season have gone for 50 yards or more, and his longest boot went for 73 yards.

He’s the second CSU player to be a finalist for a major college football award in as many seasons, a streak started by wide receiver Rashard Higgins, who was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award last year. The teammates join two other Rams in history to be up for individual national honors — Anthony Cesario, a finalist for the 1998 Outland Trophy, and 1995 Jim Thorpe Award winner Greg Myers.

For insight and analysis on athletics around Northern Colorado and the Mountain West, follow sports columnist Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.