Aidan Laros added to Ray Guy Award Watch List

Aidan Laros was Kentucky’s sole representative on the Preseason All-SEC Teams, sharing Third Team punter honors with Arkansas’ Devin Bale. For some reason, he wasn’t on the initial Ray Guy Award Watch List that came out last month, but his performance in Kentucky’s season-opener changed that. Today, the Augusta Sports Council announced that Laros has been added to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which fellow Wildcat Max Duffy brought home in 2019.

Laros punted five times in Kentucky’s 24-16 win over Toledo, averaging 43.8 yards per kick. He also averaged 66.0 yards on six kickoffs, highlighted by a 71-yard kick after the second-quarter safety, which was returned 14 yards for a net total of 57. Other than the safety, he recorded four touchbacks on five kickoffs, and the other kickoff was returned from the end zone.

“Aidan — the kickoffs he had are strong. The kick, the play after the safety, was huge. We got them inside the 25. If we’re in a normal spot to kick it out of the end zone, that’s on the 25, so we actually gained two yards there, which was impressive after the safety,” Mark Stoops said during his call-in radio show on Monday. “The punting was extremely important to us. He’s a very, very good player. I thought we were solid all the way around.”

Thanks in large part to Laros, the Rockets’ average starting field position was inside its own 12-yard line. Three of his five punts were within the 10-yard line, and one even landed on the three-yard line before bouncing into the end zone for a touchback. Kentucky had a +15-yard advantage per possession in starting field possession, helping the Cats maintain control of the game throughout.

Laros even recorded a tackle, which should boost his toughness rating up from zero on EA Sports College Football.

.@EASPORTSCollege, @aidan_laros is working on his toughness rating for next year’s game. pic.twitter.com/eOBKab8NBU

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) July 16, 2025

Laros, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, transferred to Kentucky in 2024 from UT Martin, where he earned consensus FCS All-America honors. Wilson Berry was Kentucky’s starting punter to open the 2024 season, but Laros took over for the final nine games. On Saturday, he was a weapon for the Cats, earning a spot on the prestigious watch list. Laros is on track to graduate in December with a degree in finance and accounting.

A complete list of candidates for the Ray Guy Award will be released on November 5. In mid-November, the list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists, and a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision sports information directors, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote on the top three finalists to be announced in late November. The winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN in December.