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UNC Football: Tom Sheldon named to Ray Guy Award preseason watch list

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 08: The UNC Tar Heels take the field against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Kenan Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 08: The UNC Tar Heels take the field against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Kenan Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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North Carolina punter Tom Sheldon named to Ray Guy Award watch list

This time last year, very few people knew who Tom Sheldon was. Even in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he was virtually unknown.

A freshman punter who left his home town in Australia to join the Tar Heels last summer, Sheldon became a fan favorite just months after arriving in the United States.

And it’s really no secret as to why.

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Sheldon had a terrific freshman season for the Tar Heels, punting the ball 50 times with an average of 42.7 yards per punt. Of those 50 punts, not a single one was returned longer than three yards and just nine were returned as long as two yards.

Even more impressive is the fact that the former soccer player had never participated in American football until after he arrived in the states, just months before enrolling at North Carolina.

On more than one occasion, Sheldon’s performance played a part in the outcome of a game. In November against Duke, he dropped four punts inside the 20-yard-line and downed one of them on the Blue Devils’ one-yard-line. The Tar Heels would eventually lose to their arch rival 28-27, but Sheldon had an obvious impact on the game.

After the season, Sheldon was voted to the 2016 Freshman All-America team by the Football Writers Association of America.

Entering his sophomore season at North Carolina, expectations for Sheldon are very high. That’s why it comes as no surprise that the dynamic kicker was named to the 2017 Ray Guy Award preseason watch list.

According to the Augusta Sports Council, statistics used to determine the winner include net punting average, number of times punt is downed or kicked out-of-bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned with particular emphasis placed on net punting average.

The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor college and pro football Hall-of Famer Ray Guy.

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Each of the preseason candidates for the award are listed below:

2017 Ray Guy Award Pre-Season Watch List:

Derek Adams (So.), Kent State
Jake Bailey (Jr.), Stanford
Matt Bonadies (Jr.), Middle Tennessee
Bailey Cate (So.), Old Dominion
A.J. Cole III (Jr.), North Carolina State
Jake Collins (RS Jr.), WKU
Logan Cooke (Sr.), Mississippi State
Steven Coutts (So.), California
Trevor Daniel (RS Sr.), Tennessee
Joseph Davidson (RS Sr.), Bowling Green
Michael Dickson (Jr.), Texas
Colin Downing (Sr.), Iowa State
Corey Fatony (Jr.), Missouri
Blake Gillikin (So.), Penn State
Jonathan Hernandez (Sr.), USF
Logan Laurent (RS Sr.), Massachusetts
Wade Lees (So.), Maryland
Johnny Linehan (Sr.), BYU
Adam Nunez (So.), TCU
Nick Porebski (Sr.), Oregon State
JK Scott (Sr.), Alabama
Austin Seibert (Jr.), Oklahoma
North Carolina, Tom Sheldon (So.), North Carolina
Zach Sinor (RS Jr.), Oklahoma State
Spencer Smith (RS Sr.), Memphis
Chris Tilbey (RS Jr.), USC
Johnny Townsend (RS Sr.), Florida
Shane Tripucka (Sr.), Texas A&M
Mitch Wishnowsky (Jr.), Utah

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