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Ryan Matthew Stonehouse (born May 11, 1999) is an American football punter for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado State and signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022.[1]

Stonehouse currently holds the NCAA FBS and Mountain West Conference records for highest career average yards per punt,[2] as well as the NFL single-season record for average yards per punt.[3]

Early years

Stonehouse was born on May 11, 1999, in San Dimas, California to parents Natalie Banks and Paul Stonehouse. His father, Paul, was a punter for Stanford from 1989 to 1992. Two of his uncles were also Division I punters: John Stonehouse (USC, 1992–95) and Jeff Banks (Washington State, 1996–97).[4]

Stonehouse attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. In 2016, he helped his Mater Dei team to a 13–1 record and a deep CIF playoff run, losing in the semi-finals to St. John Bosco.[5] Stonehouse was named a Blue & Grey All-American[6] and was named to the 2016 L.A. Times All-Star football team, among other awards.[7] He also participated in the Kohl's Kicking 2016 Western Winter Showcase and was rated as a five-star punter.[8]

Stonehouse was officially rated as a three-star recruit and the third best punter prospect in the class of 2017 by 247Sports.com.[9]

College career

Stonehouse with Colorado State in 2019

Stonehouse received 11 total offers from NCAA Division I schools. On February 14, 2017, he accepted a scholarship offer from Colorado State over offers from Arizona, Cal, Cornell, Eastern Washington, Illinois, Tennessee, Toledo, Utah State, UTSA, and Wyoming.[10]

As a freshman in 2017, Stonehouse was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, as well as receiving an All-Mountain West honorable mention.[11] Stonehouse was one of five true freshman to play in every game; he punted 46 times in 13 games and ranked fifth in the country with a 45.9-yard punt average.[12]

As a sophomore in 2018, Stonehouse played in all 12 games and finished second in the FBS with a 48.3-yard punt average.[13] He punted 65 times for a total 3,140 yards, placing 18 punts within the 20-yard line. Stonehouse was selected to the 2018 All-Mountain West first team,[14] as well as being named to the 2018 Sporting News All-American second team.[15]

As a junior in 2019, Stonehouse was named to the All-Mountain West first team for the second consecutive year after punting 49 times for 2,274 yards with a 46.4-yard punt average.[16]

As a senior in 2020, Stonehouse played in all four games, as the season was heavily condensed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In just four games, he punted 26 times for 1,178 yards and was named to the All-Mountain West first team for the third consecutive year.[17]

As a graduate student in 2021, his final year at CSU, Stonehouse was ranked the best punter and the 34th best overall player in the Mountain West Conference entering the season.[18] Stonehouse finished the season having punted 58 times for 2,953 yards, recording a career-best single-season punt average of 50.9 yards. Despite this, Stonehouse was named to the 2021 All-Mountain West second team, as San Diego State punter Matt Araiza, who led the FBS and Mountain West with a 51.5-yard punt average, was named to the first team.[19]

Over the span of his collegiate career, Stonehouse punted 244 times for a total of 11,656 yards. He broke the NCAA FBS record for the highest career average yards per punt with his 47.8-yard average, which was previously held by Florida punter Johnny Townsend with a 46.2 average.[2] Stonehouse also holds the Mountain West Conference's highest career average yards per punt record, previously held by BYU punter Matt Payne (45.4; 2001–04).[20]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
5 ft 9+1⁄2 in
(1.77 m) 		193 lb
(88 kg) 		30 in
(0.76 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)
All values from Pro Day[21]

2022 season

Stonehouse signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022.[22] He performed well throughout the preseason and won the punting job when the Titans released longtime punter Brett Kern on August 29, 2022.[23][24]

During a narrow Week 3 24–22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Stonehouse punted thrice for 181 yards with a long of 70 yards.[25][26] Two weeks later against the Washington Commanders, he punted eight times for 416 yards in the 21–17 road victory.[27] Stonehouse was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October after punting 20 times for 1,033 yards and a 51.7 average.[28]

During a Week 10 17–10 victory over the Denver Broncos, Stonehouse punted eight times for 432 yards, including three inside the 10-yard line with a long of 74 yards, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[29] Two weeks later against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had five punts for 269 yards with a long of 71 yards.[30] In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Stonehouse punted seven times for 401 yards as the Titans lost on the road by a score of 35–10.[31]

Stonehouse recorded an average of 53.1 yards per punt throughout his rookie season, which set a new single-season NFL record.[32] The record, previously set in 1940 by Sammy Baugh with a 51.4 average, lasted 82 seasons before being broken by Stonehouse.[3] He was also the punting yards leader in 2022, punting 90 times for 4,779 yards.[33]

2023 season

During a Week 3 27–3 road loss to the Cleveland Browns, Stonehouse had seven punts for 374 yards with a long of 74 yards.[34] During a Week 8 28–23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, he had a season-high eight punts for 420 yards.[35] During a Week 12 17–10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Stonehouse punted seven times for 376 yards with a long of 71 yards, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[36] However, in the next game the Indianapolis Colts, he suffered a serious leg injury after a second blocked punt and was later announced to be out for the season.[37]

NFL career statistics

Legend
NFL record
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP Punting
Punts Yds Avg Lng Blk
2022 TEN 17 90 4,779 53.1 74 0
2023 TEN 12 53 2,812 53.1 74 3
Career 29 143 7,591 53.1 74 3

Personal life

Stonehouse enjoys DIY projects. In his spare time, Stonehouse has built various projects, including a covered outdoor kitchen in his backyard.[38] He also enjoys fostering and working with shelter dogs.[38]

References

  1. ^ Sickafoose, Quentin (April 30, 2022). "Local football players sign free-agent deals with NFL teams". 9news.com. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Melo, Justin (January 13, 2023). "Titans rookie punter Ryan Stonehouse broke the NFL's oldest single-season record". Music City Miracles. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Leibowitz, Ben (August 19, 2019). "Ryan Stonehouse: 4 things to know about Colorado State football's punter". Coloradoan. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  5. ^ "Mater Dei Football (2016)". MaxPreps. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "Blue & Grey All-American Class of 2017". Blue & Grey All-American Bowl. March 3, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  7. ^ "The L.A. Times 2016 All-Star football team". Los Angeles Times. December 25, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. ^ "Kohl's Kicking Camps: Ryan Stonehouse". Kohl's Kicking Camps. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  9. ^ "2017 Punter Prospect Rankings". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Ryan Stonehouse Recruit Interest". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Fragoza, James (July 23, 2020). "Colorado State's Ryan Stonehouse Named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List". Mountain West Connection. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  12. ^ "Ryan Stonehouse 2017 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  13. ^ "Ryan Stonehouse 2018 Stats". CFBStats. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  14. ^ Nguyen, Joe (November 28, 2018). "Mountain West football 2018 all-conference honors". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  15. ^ Bender, Bill (December 12, 2018). "Sporting News 2018 College Football All-Americans". Sporting News. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  16. ^ "Ryan Stonehouse 2019 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "Mountain West Announces 2020 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors". Mountain West. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  18. ^ Kenerly, Matthew (July 31, 2021). "2021 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #34, Colorado State P Ryan Stonehouse". Mountain West Wire. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  19. ^ "2021 FBS Punting Statistics". The Football Database. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  20. ^ "Mountain West Conference Career Punting Yards Per Punt Leaders". Mountain West. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  22. ^ Wyatt, Jim (May 13, 2022). "Titans Agree to Terms With 17 Undrafted Rookie Free Agents". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  23. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 29, 2022). "Titans Part Ways With Veteran Punter Brett Kern". TennesseeTitans.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  24. ^ "Brett Kern: Released by Tennessee". CBSSports.com. August 29, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Boclair, David (September 25, 2022). "Stonehouse Quickly Sets New Standards". SI.com. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  26. ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Tennessee Titans – September 25th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  27. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Washington Commanders – October 9th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  28. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 3, 2022). "Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  29. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 16, 2022). "Geno Smith one of three Seahawks lauded as October Players of the Month". NFL.com.
  30. ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans – November 27th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  31. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles – December 4th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  32. ^ Lytle, Kevin (January 7, 2023). "Tennessee Titans rookie Ryan Stonehouse breaks NFL punting record set in 1940". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  33. ^ "2022 NFL Punting". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  34. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns – September 24th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  35. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans – October 29th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  36. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 29, 2023). "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Rams RB Kyren Williams highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  37. ^ Moraitis, Mike. "Titans' Ryan Stonehouse officially out for the season". Titans Wire. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  38. ^ a b Brohard, Mike (October 16, 2020). "Stonehouse Happy To Be What Others Might Not Expect". CSU. Retrieved November 1, 2020.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Stonehouse