Michigan State P Ryan Eckley Continues to Block Out the Noise

Michigan State has one of the best punters in the Big Ten on its roster. Ryan Eckley is preparing for another productive season for the Spartans.

Michigan State's Ryan Eckley punts against Washington during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are more ways to be valuable to a football team than offensively and defensively. In Michigan State’s case, they have a valuable asset in its special teams unit. Although Michigan State is currently rebuilding its roster, it already has one of the best punters in the country.

Eckley is expected to have another productive season for Michigan State after proving to be one of the best punters in the conference. Last season, Eckley finished averaging nearly 47 yards per punt, which ranked second in the Big Ten. He will undoubtedly be a player Michigan State depends on this upcoming season.

Eckley was recently named to the Ray Guy Award Watchlist. The postseason honor is awarded annually to the top punter in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Eckley has received many other optimistic projections about his upcoming season.

However, Eckley said he will not let any of the positive attention from the media impact how he prepares daily. He notes last year's success was only a starting point for where he hopes to one day be.

“I think it's kind of part of the journey,” Eckley said last week. “It's great to see the media attention like that, but it shouldn’t change how I go out and do my job when my name is called. I think it was a good building block and a good stepping stone to where I’d like to head over the next two or three years. [We’ll] see how everything plays out, but I think that was a good first year. Then, it's just a great spot to go up from there.

Coach Jonathan Smith and Michigan State still have a long way to go before their roster is completely rebuilt. However, Eckley allows Coach Smith to comfortably punt the ball away and flip the field in nearly any situation. A team’s starting field position partially decides most football games.

Eckley’s skill set is a weapon for Smith, as Michigan State will not always be in favorable positions on the offensive side of the ball. Still, an effective punter can help give Michigan State’s defense an advantage. Football is the ultimate team sport. It will always contain three parts: offense, defense and special teams. 

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