EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State All-America punter Bryce Baringer, the 2022 Big Ten Punter of the Year, was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (No. 192 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 29.
Baringer becomes the first Spartan punter to be drafted since Brandon Fields in 2007 (seventh round, No. 225 overall, Miami Dolphins) and just the fifth in program history (Craig Jarrett, sixth round in 2002; Greg Montgomery, third round in 1988; Ray Stachowicz, third round in 1981).
"I'm very grateful," said Baringer on a conference call with the media following his selection by the Patriots. "I'm very thankful for Mr. (Robert) Kraft and Coach (Bill) Belichick for bringing me in. Definitely a life-long memory for sure.
"I'm just very thankful for the opportunity to play. It's been a lifelong dream to be able to play in the NFL, and I'm just thankful that this organization and the Patriots were able to select me. I'm just so grateful and very excited."
Baringer had a record-breaking season as a sixth-year senior in 2022 en route to earning consensus first-team All-America honors from the NCAA. He set a school single-season record for the second year in a row with his 49.0-yard punting average (50 punts for 2,450 yards), which led the FBS and ranked second best in Big Ten history and sixth best in FBS history.
The Ray Guy Award finalist earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl following the season and was named the National team's specialist practice player of the week in Mobile, then followed that effort with a strong showing at the NFL Combine in March. He was ranked the No. 1 punter in the 2023 NFL Draft by several media outlets and draft analysts and was the first punter selected in this year's draft.
Baringer became the first Spartan punter to be named the Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year since the award's inception in 2011, and was also a first-team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches and Associated Press. He is one of just three Spartan punters to lead the FBS in punting with his 49.0-yard average (Brandon Fields at 47.9 in 2004; John Pingel at 42.9 in 1937) and also helped MSU lead the FBS in net punting (45.5 average). He was named Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week twice (Week 10 vs. Illinois; Week 6 vs. Ohio State) and was a five-time honoree on the Ray's 8 Weekly Honor Roll.
Baringer displayed his versatility as a punter in 2022, booming 24 of his 50 punts for 50-plus yards (48 percent), including 10 for 60-plus yards (20 percent), while placing 22 of his 50 punts (44 percent) inside the 20.
As a redshirt junior in 2021, Baringer set a then school single-season record with his 48.4-yard average – a mark that mark ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and fifth in the FBS – before eclipsing that mark as a senior (49.0). The second-team All-Big Ten selection ranked second in the Big Ten in punts of 50-plus yards (26), including 10 of 60-plus yards.
A four-year letterwinner (2018, 2020-22), Baringer's career punting average of 46.0 yards per punt (161 punts for 7,406 yards) is not only a school record, but also the best in Big Ten history (previous: Reggie Roby of Iowa with 45.5-yard average from 1979-82). The 46.0-yard average is the sixth best in FBS history for punters between 150-249 career punts. Baringer finished his career with 64 punts of 50-plus yards (40 percent) and 55 inside the 20 (34 percent).
A former walk-on, Baringer rejoined the team in 2020 following a year off the active roster in 2019, and earned a scholarship in 2021. He began his college career in Illinois and then transferred to Michigan State during the 2018 spring semester after redshirting the 2017 season with the Fighting Illini. He punted in four games at MSU as a redshirt freshman in 2018 (32.4-yard average, 15 punts for 486 yards) and seven games in 2020 (43.6-yard average, 37 punts for 1,613) before his record-breaking seasons in 2021 and 2022. Baringer graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor's degree in advertising creative in December 2021.
"Just seeing everything come to fruition, all the hard work, a lot of dedication, a lot of early mornings…just to be able to get that call was such an incredible feeling," said Baringer. "It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."