#45 Matthew Hayball Season 2023-24
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Student-Athlete Features
VUCommodores.com — Hayball to Make Debut in Hawai’i
VUCommodores.com — Punting Down Under
Vanderbilt Hustler — All roads lead to West End
As a Graduate (2023)
• Named All-American (second team) by Walter Camp, FWAA, Associated Press, The Athletic and Phil Steele
• Vanderbilt’s first All-American since 2016 and first All-American punter since 1996
• First-team All-SEC punter (coaches and Phil Steele)
• College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
• SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
• Finished career as Vandy’s all-time leader in punting average (46.5)
• Averaged 47.6 yards per punt, the second-best single-season punting average in school history
• Seventh nationally in net punting (43.1)
• Sixth nationally and SEC leader in average punt (47.6)
• One of 14 punters in the nation with a long punt of 71 yards or more
• Second in Pro Football Focus Punting Grade (88.8)
• At the end of the regular season, was the only active punter across all divisions of NCAA football to have eclipsed 13,000 career punting yards
• Ray Guy Award Finalist
• Accepted invitation to the Shrine Bowl
• First-team All-SEC and SEC Punter of the Year (College Football Network)
• Had five punts inside the 20 at South Carolina, tying his season best
• Ray Guy Award Ray’s 8 (Oct. 30)
• Named Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week after his performance in the game versus Kentucky
• Punted seven times for an average of 50.3 yards per punt in the game versus Kentucky, which is the highest punting average by a Vanderbilt punter in a game since 2002
• Career-long punt of 71 yards in win over Hawai’i
• Midseason All-SEC, second-team specialist (College Football Network)
• Midseason All-America, first team (PFF)
• Midseason All-America (AP)
• Third-team preseason All-SEC (coaches)
• Fourth-team preseason All-SEC, specialist (Athlon)
• Ray Guy Award Watch List
As a Fifth-Year Senior (2022)
• Named to SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll
• Punted 59 times for an average of 45.36 yards
• Punting average was second in the SEC and 11th nationally
• Ranks fourth at Vanderbilt in single-season punting average
• Had a long punt of 65 yards
• Pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line 21 times
• Ray Guy Award Watch List
• Forced a fumble at Alabama
Prior to Vandy
• Competed at Florida Atlantic, serving as team’s punter for three seasons
• Totaled 61 punts for 2,785 yards with the Owls, good for an average for 45.66 yards per punt
• Named Conference-USA Honorable Mention in 2021 and 2020, while also margin the C-USA All-Academic Team
• Finished freshman season in 2019 ranked 33rd nationally with 43.5 yards per punt
The Hayball File
• Attended Sacred Heart College (grades 7-12 in Australia)
• Member of Prokick Australia
• Son of Karen and Geoff Hayball
• Majored in finance at Florida Atlantic
• Earned a master’s degree in leadership and organizational performance