![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SUT-L-azfoot-0806-024.jpg\")
San Diego State punter Hunter Green stretches during a practice on Aug. 5, 2025 in San Diego, California. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nSan Diego State punter Hunter Green switched from jersey No. 29 to No. 93 entering fall camp.<\/p>\n
Green\u2019s father, Phil Green, was a walk-on punter and scout team player at the University of Washington who was a member of the Huskies\u2019 1991 national championship team.<\/p>\n
Phil Green wore No. 93.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to honor him,\u201d Hunter said after practice this week. \u201cHe didn\u2019t really like that number. When I told him why I was wearing it, he was like, \u2018Dude, pick your own number.\u2019 I said, \u2018No, I want to wear it because of you.\u2019 Because he\u2019s such a big part of why I\u2019m playing and why I give the effort I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green played the past two seasons at Northern Colorado before transferring to SDSU in January. He made his debut for the Aztecs in last week\u2019s season opener against Stony Brook, averaging 52.3 yards on his four punts.<\/p>\n
That would be an NCAA record over an entire season, eclipsing the 51.19 yards a punt SDSU\u2019s Matt Araiza averaged four years ago.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a challenge Green is eager to embrace with every opportunity, continuing with Saturday night\u2019s game at Washington State.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew place, I feel like I\u2019ve got a lot of expectations,\u201d Green said. \u201cA little bit of nerves, but after I hit my first ball all of that was out the window. I was just flowing with adrenaline, ready to go. It was exciting. It was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Diego State punter Hunter Green stretches during a practice on Aug. 5, 2025 in San Diego, California. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Green displays a composure on and off the field that is beyond his years.<\/p>\n
Just a day before SDSU\u2019s opener, he drove to Temecula for a celebration of life for his father. Phil Green died in July following a seven-year battle with ALS. He was 55.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was difficult, but I feel like I found the right balance,\u201d Green said. \u201cIt was sad but also happy that all these people were here. In the drive back down from Temecula to San Diego to meet the team here at the facility, that\u2019s where I started to get locked in. And then pretty much as soon as I got here, it\u2019s game time.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"SDSU's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SUT-L-azfoot-0905-01.jpg\")
SDSU\u2019s Hunter Green punts during last week\u2019s season-opening win over Stony Brook at Snapdragon Stadium. (Justin Truong, SDSU athletics)<\/p>\n
Zac Barton, SDSU\u2019s associate head coach and special teams coordinator, told Green to take his time returning to campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad is 78 and I would be an absolute wreck,\u201d Barton said. \u201cHe made it back in time for the Wednesday walk-thru. \u2026 The mental fortitude to be able to separate that and then go out and play the game and perform the way he did, and the way he goes about his day with school, it\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know he\u2019s a little bit older, but it\u2019s still a new school, a new scheme. Everything is new and different and then to add the stress family-wise, it\u2019s pretty impressive to watch him handle all that. I\u2019ve put my arm around him a couple of times and said, \u2018Are you all right?\u2019 But that\u2019s pretty much been it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green, a redshirt junior from Redmond, Wash., is being asked to do more than just catch the ball and kick it. Sometimes he stays in the pocket, while other times he rolls out. He can kick for distance, but is often asked to hit a spot. Each time, Green scans the defense before booting the ball away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he knows how good of an athlete he is,\u201d Barton said. \u201cHe\u2019s 6-4. I think he\u2019s got to learn how to work with a body that\u2019s 235 pounds and stay flexible. He can run. He\u2019s a big kid. His hang time shouldn\u2019t be below 4.5 (seconds). Distance-wise, he needs to be 45-plus every time. His \u2018A\u2019 ball is impressive. It\u2019s an NFL ball. He knows what the standard is here. What they\u2019ve done here in the past, he can meet that standard. That\u2019s where he needs to end up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green averaged 46.3 yards a punt last season at Northern Colorado. SDSU\u2019s Tyler Pastula averaged 46.1.<\/p>\n
Green was added this week to the Ray Guy Award watch list. He is SDSU\u2019s fourth straight candidate to be the nation\u2019s top punter, following in the footsteps of Pastula, Jack Browning and Matt Araiza, who averaged an NCAA-record 51.19 yards a punt in 2021, when he won the Ray Guy Award.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s certainly pressure because I have expectations for myself and from the coaches,\u201d said Green, who punted with Browning and Araiza in the offseason during an on-campus workout guided by former NFL kicker Nick Novak. \u201cBut it\u2019s an honor and it\u2019s fun to go out there and compete with those guys\u2019 (legacy) and also compete with the team. It\u2019s special.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Hunter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SUT-L-azfoot-0905-02.jpg\")
Hunter Green<\/p>\n
Green certainly gained inspiration from his father, who was diagnosed in 2018 with ALS, a terminal neurodegenerative disease commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
SDSU assistant director of development for athletics Steve Becvar met Phil Green when Becvar was executive director for the ALS Association\u2019s Greater San Diego Chapter.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhil put himself out there to be an advocate for the disease, an advocate for the cause, just tireless in his work to make the biggest impact on this disease as possible,\u201d Becvar said. \u201cIt\u2019s rather remarkable because progression continues. Even when I first met Phil, still pretty chipper, then the progression in terms of his voice, his ability to communicate, but he stayed the course.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would jump on those calls and want to continue to make an impact, and that\u2019s what he did. \u2026 He was all in to try to figure out how to make (clinical) trials more accessible to more people and funding. He was for others. He was trying to improve the journey for anyone going through ALS.\u201d<\/p>\n
What traits does Hunter Green share with his father?<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see the conviction in his eyes,\u201d Becvar said. \u201cAn uplifting spirit. A joy to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hunter Green carries two pictures of his father in his mind\u2019s eye, \u201chealthy before he was diagnosed and then after he was in the wheelchair.\u201d The progression of the disease brought an urgency to their relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know how long he was going to live,\u201d Green said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t my sole reason for coming here. Coach Barton and this team, I fell in love with that. But it was a major bonus that I could come and be around my dad the past seven months before he passed away. I would go up almost every weekend to see him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were talks, like dreams about the NFL and what I want to do after football, but also, when I knew he was getting close to passing away, having a talk with him, thanking him for all the love and all the support. That one was a hard talk. It was probably the hardest I\u2019ve ever cried, but it was a talk I had to have with him. I love him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wearing No. 93 is the most obvious way Green is honoring his father. There is another, more subtle tribute during games.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreviously, when everyone rushed on the field, some dudes would take a knee and pray,\u201d Green said. \u201cI was never one of those people, but every game this season, I\u2019ll go out there and pray and talk to him before the game. Just try to tap into his energy and have fun and love football.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Diego State (1-0) vs. Washington State (1-0)<\/p>\n
When:<\/strong> 7:15 p.m., Saturday<\/p>\n TV:<\/strong> The CW (Ch. 6)<\/p>\n Radio:<\/strong> 760-AM<\/p>\n BOX: SDSU\u2019s next great punter?<\/p>\n Hunter Green was added this week to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which recognizes the nation\u2019s top punter. Green is the fourth straight Aztecs punter to be listed on the watch list:<\/p>\n Year\/Player\/Yards per punt<\/strong><\/p>\n 2021\/Matt Araiza+\/51.19#<\/p>\n 2022\/Jack Browning\/46.1<\/p>\n 2023\/Jack Browning\/45.35<\/p>\n 2024\/Tyler Pastula\/46.1<\/p>\n 2025\/Hunter Green\/46.3*<\/p>\n *average last season at Northern Colorado<\/p>\n +2021 Ray Guy Award winner<\/p>\n # single-season NCAA record<\/p>\n Originally Published: September 4, 2025 at 6:52 PM PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"San Diego State punter Hunter Green switched from jersey No. 29 to No. 93 entering fall camp. Green\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":201353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,1369,1370,3549,7264,18257,62,7289,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-201352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-college-sports","12":"tag-latest-headlines","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-sandiego","15":"tag-sdsu-aztecs","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-top-stories-sdut","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115149766974990545","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}