HISTORY — From College Profile
2022 SEASON (SENIOR)
Cemented his status as the top punter in program history with his fourth-consecutive season with at least a 44.0 average … was Texas Tech’s punter in all 13 games and continued to serve as the primary field goal holder … averaged 44.3 yards per punt over 50 attempts (2,215 total yards) on the year, which continued to rank among the all-time leaders in program history … his 50 punts marked his most since his 2019 true freshman season (59) … averaged 45.0 yards per punt in seven different games and was above the 40.0 mark in all but one game … called on to punt in all 13 games and had at least one punt go 50 or more yards in 10 different contests … only had three of his 50 punts go into the end zone for a touchback … average pushed up to 44.8 yards an attempt during Big 12 play … graded out at 79.0 as a punter according to Pro Football Focus, the third-highest mark of his career … IN THE TEXAS TECH RECORD BOOK: his 44.3 average ranked eighth all-time in single-season history … now owns four of the top eight single-season averages in program history, including the top spot from his record-setting 2021 campaign … will enter his 2023 super senior season with a 45.8 career average, which is a full two yards higher than the current school record that was set by Taylor Symmank from 2012-15 … IN NCAA RANKINGS: his season average ranked 21st in the FBS, marking the fourth-consecutive year to rank among the top-25 punters nationally … was 15th among power-five punters in season punting average … averaged 44.8 yards per attempt against conference foes, which ranked 14th in the FBS … his 44.4 average in wins closed the season tied for 19th overall nationally … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ended the season ranked third in the league for punting average … moved up to second overall in the league for punting average against conference opponents … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: called on to punt four times in the season-opening win over Murray State (9/3) with three of those downed inside the 20 … averaged 45.8 yards per punt in the win thanks to two attempts going at least 50 yards … followed with a 44.5 average on four attempts versus Houston (9/10) with two of those downed inside the 20 and one punt of 50 or more yards … closed non-conference play with six attempts for a 41.2 average at N.C. State (9/17) … needed only twice for punts in the Big 12 opener versus Texas (9/24), averaging 42.5 yards an attempt with a long of 59 … posted first punt of at least 60 yards a week later at Kansas State (10/1), averaging 45.3 yards an attempt in the process … averaged 41.5 yards per attempt over four punts at Oklahoma State (10/8) with three of those ending in fair catches … had a season-high 54.0 average in the win over West Virginia (10/15) as his two punts went 43 and 65 yards … his 65-yard boot marked his longest of the season and forced the Mountaineers to start their ensuing drive inside their own 20 … inserted to punt only twice again against Baylor (10/22) for a 48.0 average … had one of his best performances of the season at TCU (11/5) with six punts for a 47.0 average … had four of those punts travel at least 50 yards with three also being downed inside the 20 … his three punts downed inside the 20 matched his season high from the opener against Murray State … booted two of his three punts against Kansas (11/12) at least 50 yards, including one that traveled 63 yards .. averaged 46.7 yards per attempt in the win over the Jayhawks … made a season-high seven punts in extremely cold conditions at Iowa State (11/19), finishing with a season-low 39.0 average … had six of his seven punts versus the Cyclones downed via fair catch … closed the regular season with six more attempts in the win over Oklahoma (11/26), which featured a 47.2 average … needed only once in the TaxAct Texas Bowl versus Ole Miss as his lone attempt went 38 yards … AWARDS AND HONORS: garnered honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades from the conference coaches … marked the fourth-consecutive season to be recognized on the All-Big 12 postseason teams … tabbed to the All-Big 12 third team by both Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele Magazine … recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 second team for his work in the classroom ... preseason candidate on the Ray Guy Award watch list.
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Continued his reign as one of the top punters in college football as a junior … appeared in all 13 games, putting up career numbers for punting average once again … called on to punt 42 times overall, averaging 48.2 yards per punt, the highest average of his career and the highest in Texas Tech and Big 12 history … only five of his 42 punts on the year went for touchbacks … downed 17 of his punts inside the 20 and booted 20 on the year at least 50 yards, both career highs … averaged 45.0 yards per punt in 10 games overall and was above a 40.0 clip in the 12 games called upon to punt (no punts versus Kansas) … graded out at 90.5 for the season, according to Pro Football Focus … was the highest season grade of his collegiate career thus far … ranked fourth among punters nationally for their respective season grades, trailing only Jordan Stout of Penn State (93.2), Ryan Stonehouse of Colorado State (91.4) and Nik Constantinou of Texas A&M (1.1) … from that group, only Constantinou will return for the 2022 football season … was Texas Tech’s holder on field goals in addition to his punt duties … IN TEXAS TECH RECORD BOOK: snapped the single-season school record for punting average, breaking the previous mark of 46.8 that was set by Mark Bounds in 1991 … now has two of the top three punting averages in program history and three of the top six marks … only punter in school history to have three of the top-10 averages now in school history … IN NCAA FBS RECORD BOOK: set the all-time FBS, Big 12 and Texas Tech records for most punts of at least 50 yards in a game after bombing eight late in the season against Oklahoma State … snapped the previous FBS record of seven that was set by Colorado’s Mark Mariscal in a 2002 home game against Southern California … IN BIG 12 RECORD BOOK: broke the longtime conference record for punting average, snapping the previous mark of 47.6 that was set by Colorado’s Mark Mariscal in 2002 (minimum 40 punts) … marked the second time already in his career to move into the top 10 in the league’s history … IN NCAA RANKINGS: closed the year ranked ninth among punters with at least 30 attempts on the year … did not officially appear in NCAA rankings due to not averaging the minimum of 3.6 punts per game … helped the Red Raiders close the season ranked sixth nationally in net punting (43.98) as a team … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was second in the league for punting average among specialists with at least 30 punts on the season … trailed only Michael Turk of Oklahoma, who averaged 51.2 yards per punt on 35 attempts … success helped Texas Tech rank second in the league for net punting as a team … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: called on five times to punt in the season opener against Houston (9/4), averaging 46.0 yards an attempt with one downed inside the 20 yard line … combined for seven punts the rest of non-conference play with four attempts at a 45.3 average versus Stephen F. Austin (9/11) and three at a 42.7 clip against Florida International (9/18) … began Big 12 play by averaging 46.5 yards over two attempts at Texas (9/25) and 46.0 yards on three punts at West Virginia (10/2) … had two of his punts leave West Virginia inside its own 20 and also had two travel at least 50 yards in the win … had another strong performance against TCU with two punts for 99 yards (49.5 average), including a long of 55 yards … not called upon to punt against Kansas, marking the first time the Red Raiders had not punted in a game since facing Louisiana Tech in 2016 … utilized twice on punt duty against Kansas State (10/23) at a 41.0 average … followed with three punts at a 47.3 average at Oklahoma (10/30) with two resulting in the Sooners starting inside their own 20 … averaged 47.5 yards for his two punts in the win over Iowa State (11/13) with the longest going 53 yards … ability as one of the nation’s top punters was on full display again against Oklahoma State (11/20) with nine punts for a 56.4 average … earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades after falling just shy of the Texas Tech single-game record of 57.0 yards an attempt … marked the fourth-highest average on the year for an FBS punter with a minimum of five punts … was the third-highest average by a FBS punter with at least nine attempts dating back to 2000, trailing only the clips from Wake Forest’s Dom Maggio in a 2019 contest at Clemson (57.7) and San Diego State’s Matt Araiza from earlier in 2021 season as part of a 56.8 average versus New Mexico State … eight of his nine punts on the night went at least 50 yards, marking the most all-time in NCAA FBS history … performance included a punt of 70 yards, his longest of the season … closed the regular season with three punts at a 47.7 average at Baylor (11/27) with two that were downed inside the 20 … called on four times in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, averaging 46.0 yards an attempt with two downed inside the 20 … one of his punts was ultimately muffed by Mississippi State, giving the Red Raiders the ball in the red zone just before halftime … placed Mississippi State at its own 1 yard line on his final punt of the night, a booming 60-yard attempt … AWARDS AND HONORS: named to the All-Big 12 second team by the conference coaches and Associated Press … tabbed the league’s Co-Specialist of the Week on Nov. 22 following the Oklahoma State game … was a preseason candidate for the Ray Guy Award … recognized for work in the classroom as part of the Academic All-Big 12 first team.
2020 SEAS0N (SOPHOMORE)
Proved once again to be among the top punters in the country … appeared in nine games as a sophomore, while improving on his already-impressive numbers from his freshman campaign … was only unavailable for the victory over Baylor (11/14) … called on to punt 41 times on the season, averaging 46.3 yards per attempt … boasted 12 punts that went at least 50 yards and had 11 that were downed inside the 20 … recorded at least one punt that was downed inside the 20 in all nine games … averaged at least 43.0 yards per punt in all but one game on the year … brought on at least four times to punt in seven of nine games … IN TEXAS TECH RECORD BOOK: ranked second all-time in single-season history for punting average, trailing only the school record of 46.8 yards per punt that was set by Mark Bounds in 1991 … now the only Red Raider in school history to have two of the top-five punting averages in school history … set the Texas Tech single-game mark for the longest punt in school history after launching an 87-yard attempt against West Virginia … broke the previous school record of 85 yards that was set by R.W. Moyers versus West Texas State in 1945 … IN BIG 12 RECORD BOOK: his 87-yard punt versus the Mountaineers also snapped the conference’s single-game mark of 85 yards that was previously set by Oklahoma’s Tress Way in a 2010 win over Utah State … marked only the ninth punt in league history to go at least 80 yards … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ranked fifth in the FBS for punting average and fourth among punters who played in at least five games … boasted the longest punt in college football with his 87-yarder against West Virginia … was the only punt of at least 80 yards across the FBS during the season … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: easily led the conference in punting as the next-closest player was Jordy Sandy of TCU with a 41.0 average … averaged 47.0 yards per punt in league games only, which also led the conference by a considerable margin (next closest was Ryan Bujcevski of Texas at 43.4) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: lowest punting average of the year came in season opener versus Houston Baptist (9/12) where he averaged 39.8 yards with one resting inside the 20 … brought on five times for a 47.8 yards per punt average against Texas (9/26), which included a season-high two attempts landing inside the 20 … matched that season high the following week at Kansas State (10/3) with both punts being downed inside the 20 after averaging 48.5 yards per boot … needed six times for punts at Iowa State (10/10) where he averaged 43.5 yards, his lowest clip during conference play … that average was still higher than every other Big 12 punter’s season average, however … one of the best performances of his young career came in the win over West Virginia (10/24) with a 53.4 average that featured his school record 87-yard punt as well as 74-yard attempt in the first quarter … had three punts go at least 50 yards against Oklahoma (10/31) before finishing with a 43.7 average on six attempts … matched his career high with seven punts at TCU (11/7), averaging 47.1 yards with two attempts going at least 50 yards … missed the Baylor win (11/14) and then returned with four punts for a 44.0 yards per attempt average at Oklahoma State (11/28) … closed the season by averaging a season-best 53.5 yards per punt over two attempts against Kansas (12/5) … marked the highest single-game average of his career … AWARDS AND HONORS: garnered All-Big 12 first-team accolades from the conference coaches, Associated Press and Phil Steele Magazines … became the first Red Raider since Le’Raven Clark in 2014-15 to collect first-team honors in back-to-back seasons … first specialist in the Big 12 era to be recognized on the first team in back-to-back years and the seventh Red Raider overall, joining Clark (2014-15), Michael Crabtree (2007-08), Joel Filani (2005-06), Jarrett Hicks (2004-05), Kevin Curtis (1999-00) and Montae Reagor (1997-98) … tabbed a second team All-Texas selection by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football … preseason candidate for the Ray Guy Award.
2019 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
One of the top punters in the country as only a freshmen … earned the starting job at punter during preseason camp and proceeded to have one of the best seasons in program history … inserted in all 12 games overall with 59 punt attempts … averaged a booming 45.0 yards per punt with his longest attempt going 66 yards … downed 20 of his punts inside the 20 yard line with only five touchbacks … booted 17 punts at least 50 yards and had 26 attempts fair caught … allowed only nine returns with opponents averaging just 5.2 yards … called on to punt at least four times in all 12 games on the year … averaged at least 40 yards per punt in all but one game on the year … placed at least one punt inside the 20 in all but one game as well … IN TEXAS TECH RECORD BOOK: punting average ranked fourth all-time in the single-season record book, trailing only Mark Bounds (1991), Taylor Symmank (2015) and Alex Reyes (2006) … marked the highest single-season average by a freshman in program history … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ranked second among freshmen nationally with a 45.0 yards per punt average … ranked 16th nationally in the category and 12th among power-five punters … played huge role in Texas Tech ending the year ranked fourth in the FBS for net punting average (42.5) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked second in the league for punting average, trailing only Kansas State’s Devin Anctil … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the year by averaging 48.4 yards over five punts against Montana State (8/31), downing two of those inside the 20 … followed with a 47.0 yard average the next week in a win over UTEP (9/7) … placed four of his seven punts inside the 20 at Arizona (9/14), averaging 45.9 yards per punt … drilled his longest punt of the year in the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma (9/28) at 66 yards … was part of seven punts on the day where he finished with a 48.5 average, his second-highest clip of the season … dropped two punts inside the 20 in the top-25 victory over Oklahoma State (10/5) where he averaged a season-low 33.6 yards per punt … returned to form the next week at Baylor (10/12) with four punts at an 44.5 average and a long of 60 yards … marked one of two punts on the year to travel at least 60 yards … posted six punts against Iowa State (10/19) - his most during Big 12 play - while averaging 46.7 yards per attempt … successfully flipped the field several times at Kansas (10/26) with three of his five punts downed inside the 20 … closed the game averaging 42.2 yards per punt versus the Jayhawks … utilized five times against at West Virginia (11/9), averaging 45.4 yards per attempt with one punt inside the 20 … totaled four punt attempts in each of the final three games against TCU (11/16), Kansas State (11/23) and at Texas (11/29) … downed five punts inside the 20 during that span with two each versus TCU and Kansas State and the other coming in Austin … averaged 47.2 yards per punt against the Horned Frogs followed by a 41.2 clip versus Kansas State … showed off his arm against the Wildcats as well, finding Erik Ezukanma on a 34-yard pass as part of a successful fake punt attempt … closed the year with a season-high 49.2 average at Texas with his longest punt traveling 56 yards … AWARDS AND HONORS: tabbed a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Pro Football Focus and The Athletic … became the first Red Raider punter all-time to garner Freshman All-America accolades … tabbed to the All-Big 12 first team by the conference coaches … marked the first time a Texas Tech punter had garnered All-Big 12 first team honors … first freshman to be named to the first team since Michael Crabtree in 2007.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Highland High School in Gilbert, Ariz. … netted a 42.6 yard punting average during his senior year … also drilled 12 field goals, including a 45-yarder … was a perfect 63-of-63 on extra point attempts in 2018 … earned first team All-State honors following his senior campaign … was the Arizona Cardinals and Luis Zendejas Kicker of the Year ... also a member of the school’s basketball program ... three-star prospect according to 247Sports and ESPN … rated as the top punter in the 2019 class by 247Sports … CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Arizona, Arizona State, Missouri, Nebraska, Utah State.
PERSONAL
Austin McNamara … born in San Jose, Calif. ... son of Brian and Mindy McNamara ... father played collegiate golf at Long Beach State before earning degrees at the University of Texas and BYU ... mother is also a BYU graduate ... oldest of four siblings ... has a younger brother, Tyler, and two younger sisters, Kaylee and Macie ... majoring in Sport Management.
CAREER HIGHS
Punt Attempts: 9, vs. Oklahoma State (2021)
Punt Yards: 508, vs. Oklahoma State (2021)
Punt Average: 56.4, vs. Oklahoma State (2021)
Longest Punt: 87, vs. West Virginia (2020)^
Punts of at least 50 Yards: 8, vs. Oklahoma State (2021)^~
Pass Completions: 1, vs. Kansas State (2019)
Pass Yards: 34, vs. Kansas State (2019)
* Indicates most recent high
^ indicates Big 12 and Texas Tech single-game record
~ indicates NCAA FBS record.
-- 6/15/23