South Carolina junior punter Mason Love has earned a spot on the Ray Guy Award Midseason Watch List, with the Augusta Sports Council announcing Thursday that he is one of 63 candidates moving forward from an initial field of 100.
Love, a Kansas City, Mo. native, has been steady and productive through the season’s first stretch. He has punted 24 times for 1,037 yards, good for a 43.2-yard average, and has placed nine kicks inside the 20 while sending five punts 50 yards or more.
His longest boot of the year traveled 55 yards in South Carolina’s 38-19 road win at No. 16/15 Florida.
His work has also helped the Gamecocks build one of the country’s top punt coverage units. South Carolina is allowing just 4.0 yards per return.
Love’s value goes beyond punting. He also handles holding duties on field goals and extra points, a role that has supported sophomore kicker Malik Orsan’s rise.
Since winning the starting job for the SEC opener against Mississippi State on Sept. 19, Orsan has gone 10-of-12 on field goals and a perfect 28-of-28 on extra points.
Over his career, Love has punted 77 times for 3,431 yards, an average of 44.6 yards per punt that ranks second in program history. In 2025, he was the nation’s second-best freshman punter, averaging 45.1 yards per punt and earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors.
The next step in the Ray Guy Award process comes when the committee names its 10 semifinalists on Nov. 13.
From there, three finalists will be chosen by a national voting body made up of Football Bowl Subdivision sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners. After the finalists are set, that same group will vote again to select the nation’s top punter, with the winner to be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec.
2026 Ray Guy Award Midseason Watch List
Jakob Anderson, Rutgers
Alex Asparuhov, Alabama
Dante Atton, Temple
Atticus Bertrams, UCF
Oscar Bird, Ole Miss
Cam Brown, Michigan
Lachlan Carrigan, USC
John Hoyet Chance, TCU
Reed Chandley, Florida Atlantic
Alec Clark, Florida
Evan Crenshaw, Troy
Rhys Dakin, Michigan State
Conor Donaghy, Jacksonville State
Tashi Dorje, San Diego State
Liam Dougherty, Houston
Oscar Doyle, Boise State
Dylan Drennan, Purdue
Jonah DuPont, Iowa State
Bart Edmiston, Wyoming
Bailey Ettridge, Oregon
Boston Everitt, Iowa
Max Fletcher, Cincinnati
Aidan Flintoft, Stanford
Curtis Gerrand, UCLA
Damon Greaves, Colorado
Hunter Green, Washington
Bryan Hansen, West Virginia
Gehrig Heil, Hawaii
William Hudlow, Tulane
Daniel Hughes, Florida State
Ethan Hyams, Wake Forest
Dylan Joyce, Miami
Hudson Kaak, Auburn
Will Karoll, Texas Tech
Mason Love, South Carolina
Simon McClannan, Kansas State
Matt McKenzie, Kennesaw State
Markus Meincke, Toledo
Tomas O’Halloran, East Carolina
Orion Phillips, Utah
Ed Phillipson, Massachusetts
Ethan Pulliam, Mississippi State
Lars Rau, Illinois
Patrick Rea, James Madison
Brunno Reus, Missouri
Kade Reynoldson, Duke
Gabe Russo, Pitt
Jasper Scaife, Notre Dame
Fuller Shurtz, BYU
Daniel Sparks, Virginia
Pierse Stainton, Miami (Ohio)
Oliver Straw, UAB
Cole Stumbaugh, Ball State
Max Tulen, Tulsa
Jacob Ulrich, Oklahoma
James Wagenseller, Army
Jackson Waller, NC State
Sean West, Wisconsin
Tom Weston, Minnesota
Tyler White, Texas A&M
Palmer Williams, Baylor
Archie Wilson, Nebraska
AJ Winsor, Oregon State
In Other News...
Charleston Southern Showed Something South Carolina Fans Will Want To Track
Charleston Southern handled Columbia International University 86-49 on Nov. 5, and the result offered a useful early-season snapshot for South Carolina fans keeping an eye on regional opponents. Anthony Ruffolo led the way with 31 points, while Lase Olalere added 14 points and 16 rebounds in a game that never really got away from Charleston Southern once it settled in.
The Buccaneers have now won all 7 meetings with Columbia International, a reminder of how comfortably they have controlled that matchup. Their next test comes Nov. 10 at Wake Forest, which should provide a much clearer read on where this team stands as the schedule stiffens. [Read more 🡒]
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Shane Beamers earlier prediction about the Gamecocks playoff prospects has added another layer to the week, even if the immediate task is much more straightforward. There is also the memory of last years game against Texas A&M, which gives South Carolina a little added motivation as it tries to keep building on its momentum. For a team that has finally put together some positive results, this is the kind of late-season game that can shape how the rest of the year is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Quietly Has One Of Its Best Stories Back Again
Maurice Brown II is back in the spotlight for all the right reasons. The senior tight end has been nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy for the second straight year, a fitting nod for a player whose South Carolina story has been built the hard way since he first walked on in 2023. The award honors college football players who started as walk-ons and turned perseverance into production, and Brown has done exactly that while carving out a role on offense and special teams.
For the Gamecocks, Browns return to that conversation says plenty about the kind of value he has brought to the program. He earned a scholarship along the way and has become one of those steady, dependable pieces coaches love to have around, the sort of player whose presence is felt in more than one phase of the game. With another Burlsworth nomination in hand, Browns rise remains one of the quieter but more compelling stories on the roster. [Read more 🡒]