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PELHAM NAMED TO FCS PUNTER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
8/14/2026 12:00:00 PM | Football
AUGUSTA, Ga. — South Dakota State punter Max Pelham was named Friday as one of 14 players included on the preseason watch list for the 2026 FCS Punter of the Year Award. The award is presented annually by the Augusta Sports Council.
A graduate student from Ankeny, Iowa, Pelham was a semifinalist for the award in 2025, when he averaged 47.2 yards on 42 punts, with 18 of his attempts traveling 50 or more yards. He was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and an All-America selection by both the American Football Coaches Association (first team) and Associated Press (honorable mention) a season ago.
The FCS Punter of the Year Award winner will be determined by the FCS Punter of the Year Award national voting body, which consists of FCS sports information directors and national sports writers. The award winner is scheduled to be announced Dec. 14.
2026 FCS PUNTER OF THE YEAR PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Liam Allen IV, Howard
Brandon Bowman, Campbell
Logan Chenette, Stonehill
Brady Clark, Princeton
Demetrion Duvall, Alcorn State
Ryan Marks, Utah Tech
Charlie Mullen, Tarleton State
Max Pelham, South Dakota State
Connor Poole, Lehigh
Emiliano Salazar, San Diego
Ben Shrewsbury, Virginia Military Institute
Luke Silvernale, North Dakota
Brett Starling, Hampton
Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling, UTRGVÂ
-GoJacks.com-
A graduate student from Ankeny, Iowa, Pelham was a semifinalist for the award in 2025, when he averaged 47.2 yards on 42 punts, with 18 of his attempts traveling 50 or more yards. He was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and an All-America selection by both the American Football Coaches Association (first team) and Associated Press (honorable mention) a season ago.
The FCS Punter of the Year Award winner will be determined by the FCS Punter of the Year Award national voting body, which consists of FCS sports information directors and national sports writers. The award winner is scheduled to be announced Dec. 14.
2026 FCS PUNTER OF THE YEAR PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Liam Allen IV, Howard
Brandon Bowman, Campbell
Logan Chenette, Stonehill
Brady Clark, Princeton
Demetrion Duvall, Alcorn State
Ryan Marks, Utah Tech
Charlie Mullen, Tarleton State
Max Pelham, South Dakota State
Connor Poole, Lehigh
Emiliano Salazar, San Diego
Ben Shrewsbury, Virginia Military Institute
Luke Silvernale, North Dakota
Brett Starling, Hampton
Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling, UTRGVÂ
-GoJacks.com-
Players Mentioned
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