Penn State’s Riley Thompson Named Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week

A key Penn State special teams player has won a high-profile weekly honor. Junior Riley Thompson was selected as the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week on Tuesday for his performance in the Nittany Lions’ 34-27 win against Bowling Green. 

Thompson was named a team captain this preseason and is already off to a hot start. He landed a pair of punts inside the 20-yard line and kicked a game-high 56-yard punt on Saturday.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Thompson was tabbed to the Ray Guy Award preseason watch list for a second consecutive year this offseason.

The 6-foot-1, 224-pound Thompson started all 13 games at punter last season, his first after transferring from Florida Atlantic in 2023. He was awarded a two-year eligibility extension by the NCAA this offseason.

“I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself, also being my second year here, getting more adjusted to everything, obviously, learning the game plan a lot better, things like that,” Thompson said on Aug. 28. “I think my mental approach was kind of the main thing that I’ve worked on, just attacking each punt to put my team in the best position.”