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On Thursday, Pitt's Ryan Winslow was one of 27 punters selected to the Ray Guy Award Watch List. The award is given out annually to the nation's best punter. Winslow was one of two punters, from the ACC, to be put on the watch list. The other was Miami punter, Justin Vogel.
This is a nice announcement after Winslow used his 6'5", 210-pound frame to have a solid year as a sophomore last fall. The Maple Glen, PA native also joins several other Panthers that have received similar honors this summer, as training camp begins to creep up on the horizon.
The LaSalle College High School graduate finished last season with a 41.1 yards per average, with a nice net punt average of 37.5. That was good enough to land Pitt's punt return defense at number 19 in the country. His other highlights included a career long 60-yard boom against Georgia Tech and also drilling 21 punts inside the opponents 20-yard line.
The position of punter is a very important one for what Pat Narduzzi is trying to build in Oakland. The more pressure you can put on an opposing offense, with poor field position, the faster your defense can play. That's exactly what Narduzzi wants ... a fast defense that flies around and makes plays. Winslow is certainly doing his part to help Pitt get there.
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