2024 Spotlight: Punters Worth Keeping an Eye On
One of the most underrated positions in all of sports includes that of the Punter position. Single handedly, a great Punter is valuable for a team’s offense, and a team’s defense. This is largely due to the fact that their…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most underrated positions in all of sports includes that of the Punter position. Single handedly, a great Punter is valuable for a team’s offense, and a team’s defense. This is largely due to the fact that their efficiency, and ability to perform under pressure can typically result in good field position for their defense, which further pins the offense of the opposing team. In addition to this, while it is fun to watch great Punters, it is also recognized that finding a high level of production at this position at such a young age is oftentimes difficult. Because of this, we wanted to take some time to recognize the top punters in the state of Georgia who are within the 2024 class.
Randy Smith Jr- Southwest DeKalb
Out of the 5 games that Smith played in last year, he already managed to have a great impact on his team as he averaged around 43.2 yards a punt. This eventually helped him to achieve a total of 951 yards by the end of the season. More impressively, he managed to do so in only 22 punts, with his longest punt of the season being 60 yards. This kind of consistency will likely make him one of the better, and more efficient punters in the state of Georgia by the time he graduates.
Jordan Sonnabend- New Hampstead
Unlike Smith, Sonnabend saw more playing time last season, as his team needed him immediately due to the lack of depth at the position on his team. He accumulated his average of 40 yards a punt in the span of 10 games as a young player, and even saw himself land 3 of his 14 punts within the 20 yard range. In addition to this, Sonnabend also saw success in the fact that he totaled around 570 yards by the end of the season, making him very efficient for the little bit of times he had to actually boot the ball away.
Allen Ventura- Claxton
Ventura also had his own fair share of success last season, as he not only played in 6 games as a 2024 prospect, but he proved to put a good spin, and hang time on the ball. In these 6 games, Ventura had a long of 52 yards on one punt, and saw 4 of his 17 punts land within the 20 yard line. With this, Ventura also averaged around 38 yards a punt, which is not only solid for his age, but the consistency in doing so managed to help position his defense well after 4th down. As he continues to develop, we encourage him to continue to work on his timing, and consistency, as he can become a great player off of these things alone.
Nicholas Tyre- Bainbridge
Out of the 2024 punting class within the state of Georgia, Tyre saw one of the biggest totals of punt yardage out of anyone his age. Last season, he totaled around 1,300 yards on 37 punts, proving that he can be an asset to his team when his number was called. With this, Tyre also averaged around 35 yards a punt, with 7 of his punts winding up within the 20 yard range. Not only is this impressive for his age, but the fact that he was able to do so for a playoff caliber team is also something that sets him apart.
Edgar Vazquez- Johnson
While Vasquez only played in 9 games last season, he managed to make the most of his opportunity. In that 9 game span, he not only totaled around 1,900 punt yards, but he also had a long of 53 yards on 1 single punt. This consistency is part of the reason why he was able to position his defense well when following unsuccessful offensive attempts. This upcoming season, not only is our hope that he would have to punt the ball less, but that he would continue to grow in his mechanics, timing, and overall followthrough of his punts.