Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia punter Bryan Hansen was named to the Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List for the 2026 season on Friday afternoon.
The redshirt senior appeared in all 12 games and punted 57 times, totaling 2,730 yards for an average of 47.9 yards last season for Colorado State. His longest punt was 67 yards and he had five touchbacks.
Hansen placed 13 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and had 23 that were more than 50 yards.
2026 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List
Dante Atton, Temple
Oscar Bird, Ole Miss
Grant Chadwick,LSU
John Hoyet Chance, TCU
Alec Clark, Florida
Evan Crenshaw, Troy
Oscar Doyle, Boise State
Bart Edmiston, Wyoming
Hunter Green, Washington
Bryan Hansen, West Virginia
Daniel Hughes, Florida State
Dylan Joyce, Miami
Ashton Logan, Middle Tennessee
Bryce McFerson, Maryland
Grayson Miller, Oklahoma
Ethan Pulliam, Mississippi State
Jackson Ross, Tennessee
Daniel Sparks, Virginia
Pierse Stainton, Miami (Ohio)
Tyler White, Texas A&M
Palmer Williams, Baylor
The candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of FBS punters and were compiled based on previous Ray Guy Award Semifinalists, 2025 All-American, and All-Conference selections, top performing punters, and 2026 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. A final watch list will be announced in early November, and the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists in mid-November.
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.
Photo Credit: Colorado State Athletics
