The Gators are getting one of their biggest weapons back for 2017. Punter Johnny Townsend announced on Twitter Thursday that he will be retuning in 2017 as a fifth-year senior.
Excited to be returning for my senior season in the Swamp!! One more go around in the orange and blue! ? #GoGators pic.twitter.com/rbZpe2Sutj
— Johnny Townsend (@johnnytownsend1) January 13, 2017
Townsend led the nation in 2016 with an average of 47.89 yards per punt. Despite that, he was not one of the three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the top punter. Townsend was second-team All-SEC in 2016, behind Alabama’s JK Scott.
Florida has to replace eight starters on defense next season, but new defensive coordinator Randy Shannon at least knows that Townsend will be regularly pinning opposing offenses deep in their own territory.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
