Oscar Bird Named to Ray Guy Award Watchlist
The Ole Miss punter is among 64 players on the Augusta Sports Council's midseason list for the nation's top punter honor.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Football
The Augusta Sports Council named Ole Miss punter Oscar Bird to the Ray Guy Award midseason watchlist, which includes 64 players. Bird made the preseason list of 22 players and has been among the SEC's leading punters this season.
Why it matters
The Ray Guy Award recognizes the best punter in the country each season, and watchlist recognition signals Bird's standing among the nation's specialists. For Mississippi fans, it highlights a key contributor to the Rebels' special teams as the team prepares to face Georgia.
Bird has punted 26 times this season for a 45.8-yard average, ranking fifth in the SEC, with a long of 60 yards and nine punts landing inside the 20-yard line. Last season's winner, Georgia's Brett Thorson, had 46 punts when he claimed the award.
The players
Oscar Bird
Ole Miss punter who played three years of Australian Rules football before moving to the United States to play college football.
Augusta Sports Council
The organization that selects the watchlist for the Ray Guy Award, which honors the best punter in college football each season.
The details
Bird scrambled for a first down on a fake punt against Texas and punted four times against Missouri, all inside the 20-yard line, as Ole Miss held the Tigers to three points. Bird played three years of Australian Rules football before moving to the United States.
Timeline
The Augusta Sports Council announced the midseason watchlist on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Ole Miss faces Georgia this weekend, the week of November 6, 2026.
Season Trajectory
Recent Ray Guy Award winners Brett Thorson and Eddie Czaplicki won with 46 and 43 punts respectively, giving Bird's 26-punt pace a benchmark for award contention. Watchlist placement puts Bird among the candidates whose performance across the rest of the season will determine whether he enters that conversation.
Bird's 45.8-yard average and nine punts inside the 20 bear directly on field position for the Rebels, which matters for fantasy and betting readers tracking punting output. Continued watchlist standing could also affect how the Ray Guy Award field looks when finalists are named later in the season.
The takeaway
Bird's season numbers and his field-position work against Missouri show why punters can matter in close SEC games, even outside the highlight plays. Fans tracking the Ray Guy race can watch his punt average and inside-the-20 count over the next several weeks.
What happens next
Ole Miss plays Georgia this weekend, a game that will show how Bird's punting performs against a strong SEC opponent during the award race.
Further reading
For more on the Rebels' season, see Football coverage across Mississippi.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sports Illustrated.
