2025 Football Roster
Roster
Palmer Williams
- Position:
- Punter
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 203
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Advance, N.C.
- High School:
- Davie HS
• All-America Second Team (The Athletic)
• All-America Honorable Mention (Phil Steele)
• Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year
• Ray Guy Award Finalist
• All-Big 12 First Team (Coaches, AP, Phil Steele)
2025 (Junior): Helped lead the nation in net punting … Named second-team All-America by The Athletic … Tabbed honorable mention All-America by Phil Steele … The Big 12 Special Teams Player of the year in a voting of the league coaches … A finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s best punter … Tabbed first-team All-Big 12 Conference by the league coaches, the AP and Phil Steele … Named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week once (week 3) … Only punted 27 times for 1,267 yards, an average of 46.9 yards per punt … Had just one touchback, seven fair caches, 11 downed inside the 20-yard line and 11 going for 50+ yards … Only punted 2.25 times per game, which falls below the ESPN threshold for national leaders (2.5 punts per game) and the NCAA threshold for national leaders (3.6 punts per game) … If qualified would have ranked ninth nationally in punting average in the ESPN rankings … Punted twice for 75 yards vs. Auburn … Had a 51-yard punt at No. 17 SMU … Had four punts for an average of 48.5 yards, with two inside the 20-yard line and two 50+, including a 59 yarder … punted twice for a 52.5-yard average vs. Arizona State, with both going 50+ and both downed inside the 20-yard line … Punted three times for a 55-yard average, with two going 50+ and one inside the 20-yard line … Punted twice for 90 yards with one inside the 20 and a long of 49 … Had three punts for a 51-yard average with two inside the 20 and two going for 50+ and a long of 57 at TCU … Had two punts for 68 yards at UC … Punted once, for 46 yards, downed inside the 20-yard line vs. UCF … Had three punts for a 47-yard average with one downed inside the 20-yard line with one over 50 vs. Utah … Punted twice for 96 yards vs. Houston … Was a preseason second-team All-America (Phil Steele), third-team All-America (Athlon) and All-Big 12 selection (Big 12 media, Athlon, Phile Steele).
2024 (Sophomore): Had the best punting season in college football and the best in Baylor history … Finished with a 49.35 average on 43 punts, which among those who punted at least 2.5 times for game in 2024, ranked tops in the nation … Averaged ranked as the best in single-season Baylor history … With 78 career punts, ranks shy of the career leaders in BU history (100 min.) with a 46.53 average, which would be tops in school annals … Has 28 career 50+ yard punts and ranked fourth in school single-season history with 22 in 2024 … Had five 60+ yard punts in 2024, ranking sixth in single-season history and eighth in career history … Had 15 of his 43 punts downed inside the 20-yard line and six fair caught … Helped Baylor rank eighth in the nation in net punting and 44th nationally in punt return defense … Had the best putting game in school history at Utah, punting six times for 376 yards, an average of 62.7, with a long of 79 yards and two inside the 20-yard line … Served as the holder on field goals for a second consecutive season … Three times was named to the Ray Guy Award “Ray’s 8” (Week 2, 9, 10) … Punted twice in his season debut vs. Tarleton (average of 43.5) … Did not punt vs. Air Force but was the holder on field goals … Punted six times for 296 yards and an average of 49.3 yards per punt at Colorado, with one in the 20 and three over 50 yards … Punted three times, with a long of 52 and a 49.2-yard average vs. BYU … Punted four times for a 47.25 average with two inside the 20, a long of 56 … Punted four times for 196 yards, an average of 49 and a long of 63, with two inside the 20 … Had three punts for a 46.7-yard average with one inside the 20, two over 50 and a long of 57 vs. OSU … Punted four times for 192 yards with a 48 yard average, a long of 62, two over 50 and two inside the 20 vs. TCU … Punted three times for a 45.3 yard average with a long of 52 vs. WVU … Had four punts for 180 yards, an average of 45 with a long of 57 and one inside the 20-yard line … Had two punts vs. Kansas for an average of 47, with both downed inside the 20 and a long of 50 … Punted twice for a 44-yard average vs. LSU in the Texas Bowl.
2023 (Freshman): Earned the starting punter job in the preseason and had a strong freshman season … Punted 37 times for a 43.08 yard average and 1,594 total yards … Had a long of 53 and six of 50+ yards … Downed eight inside the 20-yard line and just one touchback … Forced a fair catch on 13 punts … A total of 20 of his 35 punts were either fair caught or downed inside the 20 … Also served as the holder on field goals.
High School: A three-star prospect according to 247Sports and ESPN … The No. 1 ranked punter in the class with a 6-star ranking per Chris Sailer Kicking ratings … Ranked as the No. 3 punter in the nation and No. 42 overall player in the state of North Carolina by 247Sports … The No. 14 punter in the country and No. 37 player in the state, according to ESPN … Selected to 2023 Adidas All-American Bowl on NBC Punter … A “great-looking athlete with excellent college potential whose punting is a major strength,” according to Chris Sailer Kicking, averaging over 40 yards per punt with 4.6+ hang time … Also has 50+-yard field goal range … Averaged 43.6 yards per punt as a senior in 2022 … In 2021, averaged 36.8 yards per punt and downed four inside-the-20 … Also served as kicker for DHS, connecting on 54 of 56 PAT attempts … Made seven of 10 career field goal attempts, with long of 47 yards … Also competed in track and field, as well as lacrosse … Regional qualifier in the discus throw as a junior with a personal best 136-8 in the event … Chose Baylor over offers from Connecticut and interest from North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
