The honors keep rolling in for Michigan State sixth-year graduate senior punter Bryce Baringer, who was named to The Associated Press All-America First Team on Monday afternoon.
Last week, Baringer was on first-team All-America squads as announced by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and CBS Sports. He also picked up second-team accolades from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
Baringer is the first Spartan punter to land on the AP All-America First Team since Brandon Fields in 2004.
A finalist for the Ray Guy Award, Baringer leads the FBS in punting with a school-record 49.0-yard average, which is also the second-best single-season average in Big Ten history (Iowa's Reggie Roby had a 49.8-yard average in 1981). Michigan State also ranks No. 1 in the FBS in net punting (45.5-yard average) as Baringer had only four touchbacks this season while placing 22 of his 50 punts (44 percent) inside the 20, including eight inside the 10. The sixth-year graduate senior also had a Big Ten-best 24 punts of 50-plus yards (48 percent), including 10 of 60-plus yards.
Baringer was recognized as the Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year by the Big Ten while earning first-team all-league honors from the coaches.
A two-time Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week (vs. Ohio State and Illinois), Baringer made five appearances on the "Ray's 8" weekly honor roll (vs. Western Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Rutgers).
Baringer's career punting average of 46.0 yards per punt (161 punts for 7,406 yards) is not only a school record, but the best in Big Ten history (Reggie Roby of Iowa previously held the Big Ten career record with a 45.5 average from 1979-82). Last season, Baringer set a school record with his 48.4-yard punting average, only to be eclipsed by this year's 49.0-yard average.
Baringer is currently preparing for the NFL Draft and has accepted an invite to the Reese's Senior Bowl.