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, UTRGV Story Provided by GoJacks.com ...read more read less