Maryland Punter Bryce McFerson Named to 2026 Ray Guy Award Watch List
Maryland football has one of the most experienced punters in the Big Ten returning for the 2026 season, and Bryce McFerson is already receiving national recognition.
McFerson was named to the 2026 Ray Guy Award preseason watch list, placing the Maryland redshirt senior among 21 punters initially identified as candidates for the award given annually to the best punter in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
It is another honor for a specialist who quietly developed into one of Maryland’s most dependable players over the past two seasons.
McFerson coming off All-Big Ten season
McFerson earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2025 after averaging 44.2 yards per punt during the regular season. That average ranked second in the conference and was the sixth-best single-season punting average in Maryland history.
He punted 56 times for 2,473 yards over 12 games last season and averaged at least 45 yards per punt in six of them. McFerson also recorded 14 punts of at least 50 yards, the second-most in the Big Ten, while placing 19 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, which ranked fourth in the conference.
Those numbers illustrate why a punter can be considerably more valuable than his basic average suggests.
McFerson repeatedly helped Maryland flip the field during a season in which the Terps’ offense sometimes struggled to sustain drives. His ability to combine distance with placement frequently forced opponents to begin possessions deep in their own territory.
One of his best performances came at UCLA on Oct. 18, 2025.
McFerson punted eight times for 366 yards, averaging 45.8 yards per attempt while placing five punts inside the 20. Three traveled at least 50 yards, including a 61-yard punt.
Earlier in the season against Florida Atlantic, he punted seven times for 350 yards and recorded two punts of at least 60 yards.
Consistent since arriving in College Park
McFerson transferred to Maryland from Notre Dame before the 2024 season and immediately became the Terps’ primary punter.
His first year in College Park was arguably even stronger statistically.
McFerson averaged 45.1 yards on 52 punts in 2024, ranking fifth in the Big Ten. He accumulated 2,343 punting yards while placing 21 attempts inside the 20-yard line and recording a career-long 64-yard punt.
In his Maryland debut against UConn, McFerson punted six times for 269 yards and placed five of those punts inside the 20.
Against Indiana, he totaled 327 yards on seven punts and sent four at least 50 yards. He later averaged 53 yards per punt during Maryland’s win over USC.
Across his first two seasons as a Terp, McFerson has punted 108 times for 4,816 yards, an average of approximately 44.6 yards per punt.
Add his 2023 season at Notre Dame, and McFerson enters 2026 with 146 career punts for 6,528 yards and a 44.7-yard career average.
That is a significant amount of experience for Maryland to bring back at one of the most overlooked positions on the roster.
Highly regarded before college
McFerson’s ability did not emerge unexpectedly.
The Indian Trail, North Carolina, native was considered one of the nation’s premier kicking prospects coming out of Metrolina Christian Academy.
He was rated the No. 1 punter in the country by 247Sports and Chris Sailer Kicking, was named the top punter among approximately 300 participants at the Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp in 2021 and was rated as the fifth-best kicker/punter nationally by ESPN.
McFerson averaged 46 yards per punt during his senior season while also handling kickoff duties, with 63 of his 67 kickoffs resulting in touchbacks.
His athletic background goes well beyond kicking.
McFerson was a two-time state wrestling champion, winning titles at 170 pounds in 2020 and 182 pounds in 2021. He also set his high school’s records in the long jump and triple jump and participated on record-setting 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams.
Notre Dame provided his first opportunity
McFerson began his college career with Notre Dame.
He became the Fighting Irish’s primary punter during the 2023 season, punting 38 times while averaging 45.1 yards per attempt. Thirteen of those punts traveled at least 50 yards.
He recorded two 59-yard punts that season, one against N.C. State and another during Notre Dame’s bowl victory over Oregon State.
McFerson transferred to Maryland after the season and has been entrenched as the Terps’ punter ever since.
What is the Ray Guy Award?
The Ray Guy Award has been presented annually since 2000 and recognizes the top collegiate punter in the FBS.
It is named after former Southern Mississippi and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders punter Ray Guy, the first pure punter inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Augusta Sports Council administers the award. Among the statistics considered when evaluating candidates are net punting average, the percentage of punts placed inside the 20-yard line and the percentage of punts that are not returned, with particular emphasis placed on net punting average.
McFerson is one of 21 punters on the 2026 preseason watch list.
The group also includes players from programs such as LSU, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Baylor, Ole Miss and Washington.
That puts McFerson squarely among some of the most highly regarded specialists in the country entering the season.
Not his first Ray Guy recognition
The award is also familiar territory for McFerson.
Maryland lists him as a three-time Ray Guy Award “Ray’s 8” selection, a weekly recognition honoring eight of the nation’s top punting performances.
He also appeared on the Ray Guy Award’s 2025 watch list before producing his second-team All-Big Ten season.
His challenge in 2026 will be turning consistent recognition into a legitimate run at becoming an award finalist.
The production suggests that possibility is not unrealistic.
More than just football
McFerson has also distinguished himself academically.
He was named Academic All-Big Ten and CSC Academic All-District in 2025 and received Maryland’s George Boutselis Memorial Award, which is presented to the football letterman with the highest grade-point average.
McFerson majors in computer science.
That combination of academic success and athletic production makes him one of the more accomplished veterans on Maryland’s 2026 roster.
Field position could be critical for Maryland
Punter is rarely the position that dominates preseason discussion, but McFerson could have a major role in Maryland’s success this fall.
Field position becomes particularly important in close Big Ten games.
An offense forced to drive 85 or 90 yards faces a very different challenge than one repeatedly receiving the football around midfield. A punter capable of consistently placing the ball inside the 20 can effectively provide his defense with additional breathing room.
McFerson has already demonstrated that ability.
Across his two seasons at Maryland, he has placed 40 punts inside the 20-yard line while maintaining an average well above 44 yards per attempt.
Maryland would obviously prefer not to rely heavily on its punter. But when drives stall, having one of the Big Ten’s better specialists becomes an important weapon.
MSB Take
Bryce McFerson might not receive the attention that Maryland’s quarterbacks, receivers or defensive playmakers receive, but he may be one of the safest bets on the entire roster.
There is very little projection involved here.
McFerson has already produced at Notre Dame. He has already produced at Maryland. He has already earned All-Big Ten recognition and repeatedly appeared among the nation’s top punters.
Now he enters his final college season with a chance to put together the best year of his career.
The Ray Guy Award watch list is only a preseason honor, but McFerson has the numbers and experience to make this more than an August storyline.
If he can maintain his distance while continuing to pin opponents deep, Maryland could have a legitimate Ray Guy Award contender handling its punting duties in 2026.
For a program looking for every possible advantage in the Big Ten, that kind of weapon on special teams should not be overlooked.
