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USC Trojans Punter Eddie Czaplicki Named Ray Guy Award Finalist

USC punter Eddie Czaplicki was announced as one of the top three Ray Guy Award finalists, given to the nation's best punter. Florida State Seminoles' Alex Mastromanno and Georgia Bulldogs' Brett Thorson are also finalists. USC has never had a Ray Guy Award winner.

Gabriel Duarte

USC punter Eddie Czaplicki punting vs. Colorado Buffaloes in 2023.
USC punter Eddie Czaplicki punting vs. Colorado Buffaloes in 2023. / Eddie Czaplicki/Instagram
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The USC Trojans may have not have the season they wanted, sitting with a 6-5 record, but that hasn't stopped one Trojan in particular from finding personal success on the field.

USC punter Eddie Czaplicki was named as a Ray Guy Award finalist, which is given to the best punter in the nation. He was named alongside Georgia's Brett Thorson and Florida State's Alex Mastromanno as the three finalists for the award.

Czaplicki said after the Trojans' 19-13 win over UCLA that winning the Ray Guy Award would mean everything to him.

"It would be amazing, it's the most prestigious award at my position. To win that and become the first guy at this university to win it would mean the world to me," he said.

Czaplicki's confidence is through the roof and for good reason. He is third in the country as he averages 48.8 yards per punt across 36 attempts this season. The Arizona State transfer is even better in net average yards as he sits around 46.4, which is the highest in the country across punters with over 30 punts attempted. Out of his 36 punts, nine of them have landed inside the opponent's 10-yard line.

"I feel like there's no doubt about everything I'm doing, I feel like I'm far and away the best in the country right now," Czaplicki said.

Czaplicki has been named to the award's weekly list, Ray's 8, three times this season already. Ray's 8 is determined by the Ray Guy Award committee and honors the nation's top eight collegiate punters for the week.

He was named to the award's semifinalist list and was chosen from the field of 10 punters. The Ray Guy Award will be announced alongside other collegiate awards during The Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN on Dec. 12.

The Ray Guy Award finalist will have an opportunity to impress voters for the final time when the Trojans host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday. The battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh will be broadcasted on CBS and kickoff will be at 12:30 p.m.

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Gabriel Duarte
GABRIEL DUARTE

Residing in Los Angeles, Gabriel Duarte is a senior at Cal State Northridge and is pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism. Gabriel is passionate about college athletics and is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and Oregon Ducks on SI. Gabriel has covered many college sporting events around the Southern California area including basketball and football for USC. Gabriel also writes for his local newspaper on high school sports.

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