AUGUSTA, Georgia (Dec. 3, 2021) - The Augusta Sports Council announced 10 semifinalists for the 2021 FCS Punter of the Year Award, with three of those hailing from the Big Sky Conference.
Brian Buschini of Montana, Sam Clark of Sacramento State and Daniel Whelan of UC Davis were among the 10 semifinalists for the award. The semifinalists were chosen from a field of 37 nominated candidates.
DJ Arnson of Northern Arizona won this award last spring, becoming the first from the Big Sky to take home the honor which began in 2019. Whelan was also a finalist for the award in the spring.
The candidates were evaluated by the FCS Punter of the Year Award committee on their overall statistics and contribution to the team. Particular emphasis was placed on net punting average, number of times a punt was downed or kicked out-of-bounds inside the opponent's 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team's success.
A national voting body of FCS sports information directors, conference representatives and sports writers will choose the winner from the 10 semifinalists. The winner will be announced on Monday, December 13.
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2021 FCS Punter of the Year Semifinalists
JT Bohlken, Illinois State
Brady Buell, Houston Baptist
Brian Buschini, Montana
Matthew Campbell, Citadel
Sam Clark, Sacramento State
Jack Colquhoun, Southern Illinois
Andrew Foster , Morehead State
Zach Haynes, Southeast Missouri
Brady Schutt, South Dakota
Daniel Whelan, UC Davis