Tulane’s William Hudlow Named to Ray’s 8 With Career-Long Punt Against Memphis

The Tulane Green Wave have a major matchup coming up this weekend, one hopefully not dictated by the wind at Yulman Stadium altering much of the game plan as they host the UTSA Roadrunners.

Well, the wind was certainly advantageous for one position group, and that was at punter. However, it’s not like William Hudlow’s performance was an outlier at this point with what he’s done all season long.

For a third time this season, Hudlow was named a Ray’s 8 Week Seven winner for the Ray Guy Award back on Oct. 19, with his previous nominations coming on Sept. 21 after his performance against the Kansas State Wildcats and on Sept. 28 following his night against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

He is back on that list after his performance against the Memphis Tigers last Friday.

Hudlow punted six times in the contest for 288 yards, averaging 48 yards per kick. He had a career-high long of 72 yards and placed two of his punts inside the 20, all of which was crucial in the team’s 31-17 victory over the Tigers.

Hudlow’s 72-yard long is now tied for the 11th longest in school history, and the longest punt for the Green Wave since Will Karoll notched a 78-yard kick against the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2024 season for Tulane.

It adds to an impressive campaign for Hudlow. He has averaged 46.9 yards per punt this season. 10 of Hudlow’s 32 attempts have landed inside the 20-yard line, good for 31 percent of his punts. 15 of his punts have traveled 50 yards for more, which comes out to 47 percent of his punts.

Not only does Hudlow lead the American Conference with his punting average, but he is also sixth in the nation.

It’s an incredibly impressive feat for the redshirt junior in his first year as the Green Wave’s primary punter.

And it’s landed him on an exclusive list three times as one of the top eight punters from the prior week slate of college football games. Ray Guy Award nominees are eligible, and punters named to Ray's 8 are eligible to become the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week.

The Ray Guy Award Committee determines the honors for Ray's 8 and Punter of the Week.

Now, Hudlow will look for a fourth nomination this season in a pivotal performance against the UTSA Roadrunners.

The game could be season-defining, and a strong punting performance that puts the Roadrunners in poor field position could be crucial to a victory.