Maryland has another preseason accolade on its hands, and this one goes to the guy doing the dirty work on fourth down.
Punter Bryce McFerson has been placed on the 2026 Ray Guy Award Watch List, the honor given to college football’s top punter. He’ll be back for a third season as Maryland welcomes new coordinator Matt Barnes, who inherits what the program views as one of the nation’s strongest specialist pairings with Sean O'Haire returning for a second season.
McFerson’s case is already well established. After transferring from Notre Dame to Maryland before the 2024 season, he finished the regular season second in the Big Ten with a 44.2-yard punting average. That mark stands as the sixth-best single-season performance in program history.
He was consistently dangerous with his leg in 2025, averaging at least 45 yards per punt in half of his appearances. He also booted 14 punts of 50-plus yards, which ranked second in the Big Ten, and placed 19 kicks inside the 20-yard line, good for fourth in the conference.
Those numbers helped him earn 2025 Second Team All-Big Ten recognition, along with three Ray Guy Award Ray's 8 List selections. McFerson also picked up Academic All-Big Ten and CSC Academic All-District honors in 2025.
The Indian Trail, NC native finished the regular season second in the Big Ten with that 44.2-yard average, and he posted at least 45.0 yards per punt in six of 12 games. His 14 punts of 50-plus yards and 19 punts inside the 20 both stood out in conference rankings, while his season average again checked in as the sixth-best single-season number in Maryland history.
McFerson enters the year with more attention than ever, including a label as the 12th-best draft-eligible punter this season by Phil Steele. The next steps on the award calendar are set as well: a final watch list will come out in early November, and the Ray Guy Award committee will meet in mid-November to choose 10 semifinalists.
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