NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Matthew Hayball made his second All-America team on Monday morning when he was named the second-team punter by the Football Writers Association of America.
Hayball has now been named to a pair of the NCAA’s official All-America teams after he was tabbed second-team All-America by the Walter Camp Football Foundation on Friday. The first team All-SEC selection and Ray Guy Award finalist becomes the first Vanderbilt punter to earn All-America honors from multiple selectors since Ricky Anderson in 1984 (Bill Marinangel was chosen by one selector in 1996).
He is the 20th Vanderbilt player to receive All-America honors in the modern era (since 1965) and the first since linebacker Zach Cunningham was a unanimous All-American in 2016. Hayball is the fourth Vanderbilt punter named an All-American since 1982, joining Jim Arnold, Anderson and Marinangel.
The West Adelaide, Australia, native has capped his collegiate career as one of the best punters in Vanderbilt history. Hayball was named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award and was the first Commodore punter to earn first-team All-SEC since 1996. He owns the best career punting average in school history (46.5 yards per punt) and his two seasons as a Commodore each rank among the top-five single-season marks at Vandy.
Hayball led the SEC this season and finished fourth in FBS with 47.6 yards per punt. He ranked seventh nationally with a net punting average of 43.1 yards and was the second-highest graded punter by Pro Football Focus (88.8). He pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line on 26 occasions.
He was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week following the Kentucky game after his seven punts went for an average of 50.3 yards. It was the highest single-game punting average for a Commodore since 1982, trailing only Jim Arnold’s 53.1 yards per punt against North Carolina in the Vandy record books.
With his tenure at Florida Atlantic, Hayball appeared in 59 games, punting 289 times for 13,073 yards. He is one of two active punters across all divisions of NCAA football (FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III) to have eclipsed 12,000 career yards. His career average was 45.2 yards per punt and he pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard-line on 108 occasions.