Michigan State's Secret Weapon Revealed Himself in Week 1

In terms of simply judging who did their job the best in MSU's Week 1 victory over Western Michigan, one of the first answers has to be the team's punter, Ryan Eckley.

The redshirt junior booted the ball away six times on Friday night, totaling 308 yards for a 51.3-yard average. That on its own is impressive, but four of Eckley's punts were downed inside the WMU 20-yard line, with one punt being downed at the 2-yard line and another being caught up to at the 1.

Instantly, that opened up opportunities for Michigan State's defense. Eckley's punt that went to the 1-yard line instantly resulted in a safety and two points for the Spartans. MSU was very, very close to getting a safety on the punt that went to the two, as well.

"Eckley's a great punter," defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren said when asked about what the defense thinks when the opposing offense is pinned back. "Whenever they've got a coming out (of the endzone) situation, it's definitely an opportunity to get a big play like that. ... We were 1-for-2 on getting a safety, but if we hold them to three-and-out, the offense -- the percentages of them to score is very high."

That's the quick summary of what Eckley provides to this team. His big leg and ability to pin opponents deep drives percentages up for both the offense and the defense.

Past and Present Recognition for Eckley

Eckley's play in the past has already gotten himself on many different radars. Before the season, he was one of just 15 punters that was placed on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, putting him in the race for the award for the nation's top punter.

For his efforts against Western Michigan, MSU head coach Jonathan Smith named Eckley as the team's co-special teams player of the week, sharing the honor with Caleb Gash, who had multiple tackles in kick coverage.

Last season, Eckley was first in the Big Ten with an average punt distance of 47.9 yards, which was also the third-best number in program history. He was voted a second-team all-Big Ten selection by the coaches in 2024 and was selected second-team all-conference by both the coaches and the media in 2023.

Eckley has the chance to be one of the best punters in college football and also make a case for the NFL. Michigan State has some success in sending players at his position to the pros, as Bryce Baringer is still the starting punter of the New England Patriots after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Stay up to date with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on the Spartans' win over Western Michigan when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.