Purdue Punter Jack McCallister Earns National Recognition for Week 1 Performance
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Purdue punter Jack McCallister is getting national attention for his role in Saturday's 31-0 win over Ball Satte in the season opener. The Boilermaker specialist has been named to "Ray's 8" by the Ray Guy Award.
McCallister punted just three times on Saturday, but put up some big numbers on special teams. He averaged 50.3 yards per punt on those three boots, with a long of 55 yards. He pinned the Cardinals inside the 20-yard line on all three of his punts.
McCallister was one of two Big Ten punters to be named to "Ray's 8" following Week 1 action, along with Michigan State's Ryan Eckley.
Saturday marked McCallister's debut in a Purdue uniform. He spent most of his career at Washington, playing for the Huskies from 2021-24. Last year, he was responsible for 42 punts for 1,806 yards, averaging 43.0 yards per kick. He pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 15 times and had nine punts of 50 yards or longer.
"He did a great job," coach Barry Odom said of McCallister's performance Saturday. "Obviously, he was a big part of the game when you look at average starting field position, that's one of our big measurables. We had almost 10 yards difference in where we started compared to where they started."
Ray Guy Award Ray's 8 for Week 1
Here are the eight players who were named to the Ray Guy Award "Ray's 8" following action in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season:
- Cole Maynard, Western Kentucky
- Jack Bouwmeester, Texas
- Jack McCallister, Purdue
- Keegan Andrews, UMass
- Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
- Tyler White, Texas A&M
- Wade McSparron, SMU
- Wes Pahl, Oklahoma State
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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