AUGUSTA, Ga. (August 14, 2026) – The Augusta Sports Council revealed its 2026 FCS (Football Championship Series) Punter of the Year Preseason Watch List where Howard University sophomore Liam Allen IV (Sanford, Fla.) was the among selected. The announcement came Friday afternoon.
 
The 2026 FCS Punter of the Year Award is given to the nation's top collegiate punter in the FCS.
 
A year ago, Allen was selected to the All-MEAC Second Team after winning MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Specialist of the Week twice. He averaged 40.8 yards per punt, which ranked third in the league (50^th in the nation), while producing nine 50-plus punts and nine punts inside the 20.
 
Entering his second season with the Bison, he was named to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team.
 
Overall, 14 candidates made the list, incorporating a broad spectrum of FCS punters. The list was compiled based on previous FCS Punter of the Year semifinalists, 2025 All-American and All-Conference selections, top performing punters and 2026 Preseason All-American and Preseason All-Conference selections.
 
This is not a final list as the winner of the FCS Punter of the Year Award does not need to appear on the preseason watch list.
 
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.
 
Nominations for the 2026 FCS Punter of the Year opens Saturday (Aug. 15).
 
On Aug. 29, HU takes on Alabama A&M in the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta, live on ABC.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com and/or the Augusta Sports Council website at www.augustasportscouncil.org.