Football
December 07, 2023
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference announced Thursday afternoon that Tennessee redshirt freshman Jackson Ross was selected to the 2023 SEC Football All-Freshman Team. Ross saw action in all 12 regular season games for the Big Orange and was instrumental in UT’s special teams success throughout the 2023 campaign as Tennessee’s starting punter and holder.
Through 12 games, Ross has punted 48 times for 2,053 yards this season for an average of 42.8 yards per punt. That mark ranks sixth in the SEC and third nationally among freshman punters. He boomed nine punts of 50 or more yards, including a 71-yarder at Alabama on Oct. 21, and pinned 18 punts inside the 20 over the course of his redshirt rookie year.
Ross was the catalyst for Tennessee’s remarkable punt coverage unit, which surrendered only five punt return yards for the entire 2023 regular season. That total ranked third in the SEC and fifth in the FBS. The Vols also ranked 19th in the nation in net punting with a mark of 41.4.
The Melbourne, Australia, native made program history during Tennessee’s road tilt at Alabama on Oct. 21. Ross set the Tennessee single-game record for punting average (min. 5 punts), booting the ball five times for 266 yards for an average of 53.2 to top the previous record of 53.0 established twice by Jimmy Colquitt (vs. Auburn, 1983; at LSU, 1982). His average was boosted by a career-long 71-yard punt in the fourth quarter, which was the longest punt by a Vol since Joe Doyle also had a 71-yarder against Georgia on Sept. 29, 2018.
Ross is the first Tennessee punter to earn SEC All-Freshman honors since Dustin Colquitt was recognized in 2001.
Through 12 games, Ross has punted 48 times for 2,053 yards this season for an average of 42.8 yards per punt. That mark ranks sixth in the SEC and third nationally among freshman punters. He boomed nine punts of 50 or more yards, including a 71-yarder at Alabama on Oct. 21, and pinned 18 punts inside the 20 over the course of his redshirt rookie year.
Ross was the catalyst for Tennessee’s remarkable punt coverage unit, which surrendered only five punt return yards for the entire 2023 regular season. That total ranked third in the SEC and fifth in the FBS. The Vols also ranked 19th in the nation in net punting with a mark of 41.4.
The Melbourne, Australia, native made program history during Tennessee’s road tilt at Alabama on Oct. 21. Ross set the Tennessee single-game record for punting average (min. 5 punts), booting the ball five times for 266 yards for an average of 53.2 to top the previous record of 53.0 established twice by Jimmy Colquitt (vs. Auburn, 1983; at LSU, 1982). His average was boosted by a career-long 71-yard punt in the fourth quarter, which was the longest punt by a Vol since Joe Doyle also had a 71-yarder against Georgia on Sept. 29, 2018.
Ross is the first Tennessee punter to earn SEC All-Freshman honors since Dustin Colquitt was recognized in 2001.
Tennessee Football – 2023 All-SEC Selections
DE James Pearce Jr. – AP (1st Team), Coaches (1st Team)
RB Jaylen Wright – AP (2nd Team)
C Cooper Mays – AP (2nd Team)
P Jackson Ross – All-Freshman
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