Oklahoma Punter Lands on Guy Watch List
Oklahoma is already on the path to replacing its All-Big 12 punter.
Senior Luke Elzinga, a transfer from Central Michigan, was included on the Ray Guy Award watch list this week. The award goes to the best punter in college football.
OU must replace all-star Michael Turk, a two-year starter and Guy Award candidate during both of his record-setting seasons in Norman.
The Sooners got that process started when Elzinga arrived in January.
In three seasons as the Chippewas’ punter, Elzinga made first-team All-MAC twice and third-team once. He averaged 42.4 yards per punt on 145 career kicks. Coaches have said Elzinga’s leg might not be as powerful as Turk, but expect the Sooners to be better this season on pinning opponents at their own goal line.
“We weren’t a great pooch punt team,” said special teams analyst Jay Nunez. “We were a highly-rated net punt team and punt coverage, did a lot of great things, but hit 10 touchbacks and just put our defense in spots that were not as good as it should have been. And Luke’s excellent at that. He’s kind of a pooch punt specialist.”
In his three seasons as the starter, Elzinga had just 10 touchbacks. The Grand Rapids, MI, native dropped 22 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line last year alone.
Elzinga is the third Sooner to land on a preseason watch list for the College Football Awards Association, joining junior linebacker Danny Stutsman on the Bronco Nagurski Award watch list as the nation's top defensive player and senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel on the Maxwell Award watch list as the nation's top overall player.
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