AUGUSTA, Ga. - Bowling Green punter John Henderson was one of 15 punters named to the 2025 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Augusta Sports Council on Friday. The award honors the nation's top collegiate punter annually. 

Henderson was the MAC's only semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award in 2024 after earning second-team All-MAC honors. He notched 50 punts for an average of 40.8 yards and had a long of 66 yards with 21 punts inside the 20 on the season. Only nine of his 50 punts were returned and in the regular season BGSU's punt defense allowed just 34 return yards. Eight of his punts went inside the 10-yard line. Also, 21 of his punts were fair caught.

The candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of FBS punters and were compiled based on the 2024 Ray Guy Award Semifinalists, 2024 All-American, and All-Conference selections, top performing punters, and 2025 Preseason All-American, and Preseason All-Conference selections.

This is not a final list as the winner of the Ray Guy Award does not need to appear on the preseason watch list. The number of eligible candidates for the award will grow when the award opens nominations, and candidates will be added to the watch list throughout the season. The complete list of candidates will be released on November 5, and in mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision sports information directors, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists to be announced in late November. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation’s top punter. The winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN in December 2025.

MACtion on Preseason Watch Lists
Maxwell Award
Al-Jay Henderson, Buffalo
Parker Navarro, Ohio
Tucker Gleason, Toledo
Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan

Bronko Nagurski
Red Murdock, Buffalo

Jim Thorpe Award
Tank Pearson, Ohio
DJ Walker, Ohio
Avery Smith, Toledo

Paul Hornung Award
Ty Harding, UMass
Trayvon Rudolph, Toledo
Victor Snow, Buffalo

Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Keylen Davis, Akron
Kiael Kelly, Ball State
Drew Pyne, Bowling Green
Red Murdock, Buffalo
Michael Heldman, Central MIchigan
Jefferson Adam, Eastern Michigan
Mattheus Carroll, Kent State
Brock Taylor, UMass
Abiathar Curry, Northern Illinois
Matt Hofer, Toledo
Tyson Lee, Western Michigan

Lou Groza Award 
Dom Dzioban, Miami

Ray Guy Award
John Henderson, Bowling Green