AUGUSTA, Ga. – Texas' sophomore punter Michael Dickson has been named a semifinalist for the 2016 Ray Guy Award, the Augusta Sports Council announced on Friday morning. The award annually recognizes the best punter in college football.



Dickson, a native of Sydney, Australia, is averaging 48.2 yards per punt on 45 attempts, the second-best average in the country and best in the Big 12 Conference. The school record for best punting average in a season is 46.6 yards per attempts set by Russell Erxleben in 1976.



He has registered 20 punts of more than 50 yards this season, which is second-most in the nation (leader has 21). Additionally, Dickson's four punts of more than 60 yards in tied for the third-most in the country.



In just his sophomore campaign, Dickson has not just shown off a huge leg but incredible precision. He has had 19 of 45 punts downed inside the 20, including nine that have been downed inside the 10-yard line. He has just eight touchbacks and is allowing only 7.8 yards per return on just 13 attempts, as the Longhorns rank ninth nationally in net punting average as a team.



Three times in nine games, Dickson has recorded a single-game average that stands as one of the eight best games in school history by a punter. In the season opener, Dickson averaged 55.0 yards per punt on six attempts in a win over Notre Dame, which set a new school record. In each of the last two weeks, Dickson has averaged more than 50 yards. Against Baylor, his 52.7 yards per punt average was the fourth-best in school history, while against Texas Tech his 51.0 yards per punt average was eighth-best.



The three finalists for the 2016 Ray Guy Award will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The winner will be announced as part of the College Football Awards Show in Atlanta on Dec. 8.



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 opponents 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.