FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas junior Reid Bauer was named on Friday as the winner of the Mortell Award as the top holder in college football as determined by the Holder of the Year (HOTY) committee.
The redshirt junior from Magnolia, Texas, who also maintained a 43.3-yard average on 58 of the team’s 61 punts, won the award, created in 2015 by its first recipient, Peter Mortell of Minnesota. Bauer is the first SEC player to win the award.
Bauer not only had a high percentage of the critical “laces out” holds for kicker Cam Little, he also developed a reputation for running successful fake field goals. In back-to-back late-season games, Bauer had a 23-yard run on a fake field goal at LSU and a 32-yard touchdown pass to Blake Kern on a fake at Alabama.
Bauer posted a humorous short video on social media thanking the committee and his Arkansas teammates and coaches.
In bestowing the award on Bauer, the committee wrote, “In the last few games, defenses weren’t even rushing [on place kicks] due to the threat of a fake. Pair that with his laces-out percentage and it was clear — this kid is the full package.”
Arkansas special teams coordinator Scott Fountain congratulated Bauer on social media Friday, writing “Earned it on the field,” with the hashtag “Fakemaster” among others.
Little also wrote his rhyme-scheme congratulations: “Never a doubt. Worked for this day in and day out. Congratulations and thanks for keeping them laces out.”