James Smith of Cincinnati and Thomas Bennett of Tulsa were among the 26 preseason candidates for the 2019 Ray Guy Award, which is presented to the nation's top punter.
Smith is a two-time American Athletic Conference first team selection who was a finalist for the 2018 Ray Guy Award. He led The American in punting average at 46.61 yards per punt.
Bennett earned second-team all-conference honors last season and trailed only Smith among American Athletic Conference players with 46.58 yards per punt.
The 2019 watch list was compiled based on the 2018 Ray Guy Award semifinalist list, the top 10 NCAA punters from 2018, the 2018 all-conference teams, the 2018 All-America teams and the 2019 preseason all-conference teams
Ray Guy Award Watch List
American Athletic Conference Players