Pitt Punter Named to Award Watch List

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers punter Caleb Junko was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, the team announced on Sept. 3.

The Ray Guy Award is an annual honor that is awarded to the best FBS punter in the nation. Junko has been added to the watch list each of the last two seasons.

Junko has been the Panthers' starting punter for the last two seasons. Against Duquesne in Week 1, he averaged 45.3 yards on his four punts, with a long of 53 yards. He currently ranks fourth in the ACC in punting average.

In 2024, Junko punted 58 times with an average distance of 43.7 yards on his kicks. He pinned 16 of his punts inside the 20-yard line, with 14 of them being fair caught. He also had 16 punts go further than 50 yards.

Junko was also named the Ray Guy "Ray8" for averaging 50.1 yards per punt against Cal last season.

In his career, Junko has punted for nearly 6,000 yards with his longest being an 85-yard punt in 2022. He has averaged 43.5 yards per kick, has put 35 punts inside the 20-yard line and has had 38 punts go over 50 yards. He also only has 12 career touchbacks.

Junko has appeared in 33 games in five seasons with the Pitt and has punted 136 times in his career. He joined the Panthers as a walk-on in 2021 and redshirted that season. He earned a scholarship at the start of the 2023 season.

Nov 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Ethan Davies (26) returns a punt as Pittsburgh Panthers punter Caleb Junko (91) tackles during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Other ACC punters to make the watch list were Stanford's Aidan Flintoft, N.C. State's Caden Noonkester, Louisville's Carter Schwarts, Virginia's Daniel Sparks, Miami's Dylan Joyce, Syracuse's Jack Stonehouse, Duke's Kade Reynoldson, Georgia Tech's Marshall Nichols, Cal's Michael Kern and SMU's Wade McSparron.

No Pitt punter has ever won the Ray Guy Award since it was created in 2000. The last ACC punter to win the award was Georgia Tech's Pressley Harvin in 2020. The 2024 winner was USC's Eddie Czaplicki.

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