Riley Thompson
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane. Played for two head coaches at two programs in three seasons: Willie Taggart and James Franklin. The first career honor came in 2022: All-Conference USA.
Play style
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane.
Punter archetype · season enumeration
Leg vs placement
42.9 gross, but 17 of 50 inside the 20 (34.0%) — in between — no clean archetype. no clean archetype
Net average is unavailable — no per-punt return-yardage linkage exists in the source data.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Penn State’s specialists
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 15 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-12@ West Virginia | 4 | 176 | 44.0 | 49 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 34-27vs Bowling Green | 4 | 188 | 47.0 | 56 | 2 | |
| Wk 4 | W 56-0vs Kent State | 2 | 71 | 35.5 | 38 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 21-7vs No. 19 Illinois | 1 | 48 | 48.0 | 48 | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 27-11vs UCLA | 2 | 73 | 36.5 | 38 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 33-30@ USC | 2 | 85 | 42.5 | 45 | 2 | |
| Wk 9 | W 28-13@ Wisconsin | 5 | 219 | 43.8 | 51 | 2 | |
| Wk 10 | L 13-20vs No. 4 Ohio State | 4 | 171 | 42.8 | 50 | 1 | |
| Wk 12 | W 49-10@ Purdue | 4 | 170 | 42.5 | 49 | 2 | |
| Wk 13 | W 26-25@ Minnesota | 2 | 79 | 39.5 | 43 | 1 | |
| Wk 14 | W 44-7vs Maryland | 4 | 170 | 42.5 | 46 | 1 | |
| Wk 15 | L 37-45vs No. 1 Oregon | 2 | 94 | 47.0 | 49 | 1 | |
| Bowl | W 38-10vs No. 12 SMU | 3 | 108 | 36.0 | 44 | 0 | |
 Bowl | W 31-14vs No. 8 Boise State | 6 | 283 | 47.2 | 63 | 2 | |
 Bowl | L 24-27vs No. 3 Notre Dame | 5 | 210 | 42.0 | 48 | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | 2145 | 42.9 | 63 | 17 |
Season context: team record and system
Punter profile · Distance and placement
Where his punts land, not just how far
Inside the 20
34%17 of 50Touchback rate
6%3 of 50Yards / punt
42.950 puntsLong
63yards42.9 yards/punt on 50 punts · 34% placed inside the 20 · 3 touchbacks.
Honored in a first season.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE USA
All-Conference USA mention (2022)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2025
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Willie Taggart, James Franklin and Terry Smith.
From Melbourne, VIC — one of 84 Australians punting in FBS this season.
