WACO, Texas – Baylor football senior punter Palmer Williams has been named to a Second-Team Preseason All-America selection by CBS Sports, as announced earlier this week.
Williams is one of two punters honored on the All-America teams, joining Troy’s Evan Crenshaw.
A native of Advance, N.C., Williams is coming off an All-American season in 2025 as a finalist for the Ray Guy Award. He helped the Bears lead the nation in net punting (45.0) and was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year with a conference-leading 46.92 yards per punt. Last season, he booted it 27 times with only 12 punts returned for just 32 yards. Eleven of Williams’ punts landed inside the 20 and seven were fair caught, while 11 traveled at least 50 yards, giving Williams 39 career 50+-yard boots, tied for the seventh-most in Baylor history.
Over his career, Williams has punted 107 times for 4,981 yards, averaging 46.55 yards per punt which tops BU’s program record book by over a yard. His 2024 season was the best punting season in school history, with a school-record average of 49.35 yards per punt on 43 attempts, which also ranked best in the nation among those who punted at least 2.5 times per game. Williams needs just 10 punts of more than 50 yards to move into second place all-time in Baylor history, though he trails the all-time record holder and two-time Ray Guy Award winner Daniel Sepulveda’s 94 career such kicks.
The 2026 Baylor football season kicks off on Sept. 5 with the Aflac Kickoff Game against Auburn in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with national coverage provided by ABC. BU opens its home slate on Sept. 12 against Prairie View A&M, the first of a three-game homestand at McLane Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets for all home games here.
BAYLOR FOOTBALL 2026 PRESEASON HONORS
Michael Allen, S
- AFCA Good Works Team Nominee
- Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Travion Barnes, LB
- Preseason All-Texas Second Team (Dave Campbell’s Texas Football)
- Preseason All-Big Third Team (Phil Steele)
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Ryan Davis, JACK
- Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team (PFN)
Gavin Freeman, WR
- Preseason All-Big 12 Third Team (PFN)
DJ Lagway, QB
- Maxwell Award Watch List
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Tony Livingston, TE
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Dawson Pendergrass, RB
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Jacob Redding, S
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
- Preseason All-Big 12 First Team FLEX (Sports Info Solutions)
Dylan Schaub, LS
- Preseason All-Big Third Team (Phil Steele)
Kaden Sieracki, OT
- Preseason All-Big Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Devonte Tezino, DL
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
LeVar Thornton Jr., CB
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Devin Turner, S
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Hosea Wheeler, DL
- Preseason All-Big Third Team (Phil Steele)
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
Palmer Williams, P
- Preseason All-America First Team (Walter Camp Foundation)
- Preseason All-America Second Team (CBS Sports)
- Preseason All-America Third Team (Phil Steele)
- Preseason All-Big 12 First Team (Media, Phil Steele)
- Preseason All-Texas First Team (Dave Campbell’s Texas Football)
- Ray Guy Award Watch List
- Shriners 1000 Watch List
