Hayden Hunt makes ESPN’s pre-season All-America team

The Colorado State Rams have started a new tradition.

After Rashard Higgins was a pre-season 2015 All-America for ESPN, punter Hayden Hunt is continuing the trend for 2016.

Hunt’s story is much different from Higgins. While the receiver walked around Fort Collins as “Hollywood,” the big man on campus, Hunt has been mistaken for an imposter many times. “Walking around campus no one knows who I am, I’m wearing the team backpack and people ask me, where did you get that? just because I’m not big and swole…” Hunt laughs at how often this kind of thing happens.

He’s far from an unknown to Colorado State football fans or college football fans in general, though. Hunt was already a Ray Guy award finalist last season losing out to Utah punter Tom Hackett. He was a second-team All-Mountain West selection in 2015 and a second team All-American by USA Today.

Hunt has been an essential member of the Rams special teams, averaging 46 yards per punt (fifth best in the FBS) while also showing incredible accuracy with his big leg. Hayden only had one touchback in 2015 on 52 punts, making him the national leader in the category. He also punted an impressive 46-percent of his kicks within opponents 20 yard line, another statistic that ranked him among the best of the Ray Guy finalist.

Hunt might not look the part off the field but, on the field, he’s one of the most important pieces to CSU’s football team.

Hunt was the only Mountain West conference member to make ESPN’s All-America team. Interestingly enough, three of the four special teamers all had Rocky Mountain region connections, with Hunt joining Utah kicker Andy Phillips, and Colorado native Christian McCaffrey being selected as the punt returner.