What Does Punt Return Average Measure?
Punt return average is punt-return yards divided by punt returns. This table ranks college football players for the selected season and displays the applicable minimum qualifier where one is used.
College Football Punt Return Average Leaders
| Player | Team | Pos | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Javon Tracy |  | WR | 18.0 | 21.5 | 10.7 | 12.2 | - | 23.1 | 7.0 |
| 2 | Michael Scott |  | WR | 15.8 | 6.3 | 8.2 | 10.4 | - | 20.3 | 7.7 |
| 3 | Marco Beltran Jr. |  | S | 15.6 | 17.3 | 13.0 | 13.5 | - | 17.1 | 12.8 |
| 4 | Evan James |  | WR | 13.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.1 | - | 18.9 | 7.8 |
| 5 | Gerick Robinson |  | WR | 12.9 | 7.0 | 11.3 | 13.4 | - | 9.2 | 15.2 |
| 6 | Jayden McGowan |  | WR | 12.2 | - | 6.5 | 14.7 | - | 13.5 | 4.5 |
| 7 | Ryan Niblett |  | RB | 12.1 | 8.3 | 12.1 | 12.9 | - | 16.0 | 8.1 |
| 8 | Zay Robinson |  | WR | 11.3 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 10.8 | - | 11.7 | 9.5 |
| 9 | Yamir Knight |  | WR | 10.9 | 12.0 | 16.3 | 13.2 | - | 14.1 | 3.0 |
| 10 | Cataurus Hicks |  | WR | 8.2 | 2.0 | 7.3 | 9.1 | - | 7.6 | 9.4 |
| 11 | Tim Burns Jr. |  | WR | 5.9 | -0.7 | 5.9 | 6.3 | - | 7.6 | 3.7 |
| 12 | Jacory Barney Jr. |  | WR | 5.1 | -4.5 | 3.0 | 5.5 | - | 6.1 | 1.0 |
| 13 | Kyler Pearson |  | WR | 2.3 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 2.4 | - | 1.8 | 2.8 |
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Who leads college football in punt return average in 2026?
The top player in punt return average is Javon Tracy of Minnesota, at 18.0 through games played October 29, 2026. Michael Scott of James Madison ranks second at 15.8, with Marco Beltran Jr. of New Mexico third at 15.6, Evan James of Iowa fourth at 13.0 & Gerick Robinson of Nevada fifth at 12.9. Tracy's average puts him 2.2 yards clear of second place & 15.7 ahead of the 13th-ranked player.
Marco Beltran Jr. of New Mexico is the highest-ranked safety on the board at 15.6 yards, third overall. Jayden McGowan of Baylor ranks sixth at 12.2, with Ryan Niblett of Texas seventh at 12.1, Zay Robinson of Penn State eighth at 11.3, Yamir Knight of SMU ninth at 10.9, Cataurus Hicks of Pittsburgh tenth at 8.2, Tim Burns Jr. of Sam Houston 11th at 5.9, Jacory Barney Jr. of Nebraska 12th at 5.1 & Kyler Pearson of East Carolina 13th at 2.3. Eleven of the 13 are wide receivers; the only safety is Beltran third; the only running back is Niblett seventh.
How this ranking is measured
The ranking above covers the top 13 of 13 college football players in the 2026 regular season. A minimum of 14 punt returns is applied. Punt return average is punt-return yards divided by punt returns. Figures are as of October 29, 2026 & are recalculated on StatRankings after each game's play-by-play is processed.