Baylor senior punter Palmer Williams wasted no time making his mark in 2026, earning Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week honors for Week One after a sharp opening performance against Auburn.
The award was announced Wednesday by the Augusta Sports Council, and it came on the heels of a night where Williams showed exactly why he entered the season as one of the nation’s top specialists. The 2025 All-American and Ray Guy Award finalist punted four times for 208 yards, good for a 52-yard average.
His first punt went 46 yards and was fair caught at the Auburn 2-yard line, giving him his 34th career punt downed inside the 20. From there, Williams kept booming them. His next three punts each traveled 54 yards, pushing his career total to 40 punts of more than 50 yards.
Williams, from Advance, N.C., also forced three fair catches and had only one punt returned. That helped him finish with a net punting average of 51.5 yards while Baylor used his leg to swing field position and stay in the fight, nearly pulling out a last-second win over the Tigers.
He earned the weekly nod after landing on Ray’s 8, a group that also included Evan Crenshaw of Troy, Max Fletcher of Cincinnati, Aidan Flintoft of Stanford, Kade Reynoldson of Duke, Gavin Rush of Arkansas, Jack Smith of Clemson and AJ Winsor of Oregon State.
Williams also stands out on Baylor’s long list of 2026 honors, where he is a preseason All-American selection by the Walter Camp Foundation, CBS Sports and Phil Steele, a preseason All-Big 12 first-team pick by the media and Phil Steele, a preseason All-Texas first-team selection by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, and a Ray Guy Award Watch List member, along with a spot on the Shriners 1000 Watch List.
In Other News...
Baylors Home Opener Is Bringing Back A Feeling Fans Missed
Baylors first home game of the season against Prairie View A&M is set up as more than just an early reset in the schedule. The school is leaning into the occasion with the 254 game, a nod to the Central Texas area code, and players Reggie Bush, Nate Kibble and Hawkins Polley all sounded energized during media availability about the chance to play in front of the home crowd and reconnect with the community that surrounds the program.
The off-field touches are part of the appeal, too. Athletics director Doug McNamee has rolled out fan-friendly concession pricing, including a 254 Classics Menu and the 1845 Bear Family Pack, while the Bear Bell will return as a permanent fixture at McLane Stadium. After each touchdown, Bruiser and Marigold will ring it, giving fans another piece of game-day pageantry to welcome back as Baylor tries to make the opener feel like something familiar again. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Is Trying To Make McLane Stadium A Bigger Game-Day Draw
Baylor is taking a fresh approach to the McLane Stadium experience, rolling out a slate of new fan offerings for the 2026 football home opener and beyond. The university announced expanded tailgating areas, new concessions, upgraded stadium lighting and live concerts, along with the return of the Bear Bell and a wider mix of fan engagement activities designed to make game day feel bigger from the moment people arrive.
The changes also reach beyond the building itself, with stroller parking and exclusive ticket opportunities for Waco residents among the additions aimed at making attendance more convenient and more local-friendly. It is a clear sign Baylor wants McLane to be more than just the site of football Saturdays, and the details suggest the school is trying to build a fuller event around the game without losing the traditions that already give the stadium its identity. [Read more 🡒]
Sam Leavitt Faces An Early Big 12 Test Arizona State Fans Should Track
Week 1 did not offer much clarity on the Big 12 quarterback pecking order, mostly because so many of the leagues passers opened against Group of Six or FCS defenses. A few did get real tests right away, including Floridas DJ Lagway and UCFs Barnett, but for the most part the first weekend was about sorting through box scores, identifying who looked comfortable and who still has work to do before the schedule gets tougher.
Sam Leavitt is next in that line of quarterbacks to watch, with Arizona State set for an early Big 12 barometer that should tell a lot more than last week did. The matchup gives fans a chance to see how he handles a stronger defense after a relatively soft opening slate around the conference, and it is part of a Week 2 schedule that starts separating the pretenders from the passers who are ready for the leagues tougher stretch. [Read more 🡒]