CAREER NOTES & RECORDS
Career: Rankings: Currently holds a 44.2 punt average as a Nittany Lion, ranking third all-time at Penn State. Notable: Owns 60 career punts landing inside the 20-yard line and 20 inside the 10-yard line...Has just eight touchbacks in 157 career punts and 36 career kicks of 50+ yards.
Season: Rankings: 2024: Posted a 42.8 punting average, good for 12th in a single season at Penn State. 2023: Averaged 48.8 yards per punt, good for second all-time in a single season at Penn State.
2024 • JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Postseason: Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. Weekly: Was the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week (Bowling Green - 9/7). Preseason: Named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.
Season: Appeared in all 16 games as Penn State's punter...Finished with 46 punts, averaging 42.8 yards per punt...Dropped 17 punts inside the 20-yard line...Named coaching staff's Special Teams Player of the Game (vs. Boise State - 12/31).
at West Virginia (8/31): Punted four times for 176 yards, a 44.0 yards-per-punt average...Recorded a 49-yard long punt as his longest of the afternoon...Landed one punt inside the 20-yard line. Bowling Green (9/7): Blasted a 56-yard punt in the first quarter and finished the day averaging 47.0 yards on four punts...Landed a punt at the Bowling Green 19 in the fourth quarter and then dropped another at the Bowling Green 15 later in the fourth. Kent State (9/21): Had two punts for 71 yards. Illinois (9/28): Dropped a 48-yard punt at the Illinois 10. UCLA (10/5): Had three punts for 111 yards. at USC (10/12): Landed two punts inside the 20, a 45-yarder to the USC 11 in the first quarter and a 40-yard punt to the USC 18 in the second quarter. at Wisconsin (10/26): Averaged 43.8 yards on five punts...Landed two punts inside the 20 and blasted a 51-yard punt that was fielded at the Wisconsin 9. Ohio State (11/2): Hit four punts, averaging 42.8 yards per punt...Blasted a 50-yard punt and landed one punt inside the 20. at Purdue (11/16): Averaged 42.5 yards on four punts...Landed two punts inside the 20 and one inside the 10. at Minnesota (11/23): Dropped one punt inside the 20. Maryland (11/30): Punted four times, averaging 42.6 yards-per-boot...Landed one punt inside the 20. vs. Oregon (12/7): Punted twice for 94 yards, averaging 47.0 yards on the two kicks...Had a 49-yard punt to the Oregon 9 in the third quarter. SMU (12/22): Punted three times for 108 yards, including a long punt of 44 yards. vs. Boise State (12/31): Averaged 47.2 yards per punt on six punts...Blasted three punts of 50+ yards, including a 63-yarder...Landed a punt at the Boise State 9. vs. Notre Dame (1/9): Punted five times and averaged 42.0 yards...Landed a punt at the Notre Dame 11 in the first quarter.
2023 • SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Postseason: Was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by the coaches and media. Weekly: Earned a spot on the Ray Guy Award Ray's 8 (Indiana, 10/28). Preseason: Named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.
Season: Appeared in all 13 games as Penn State's starting punter...Punted 50 times for 2,290 yards (45.8) with a long of 56...Landed 17 punts inside the 20 and had 15 that went for 50+ yards...Earned the coaching staff's Special Teams Player of the Week (Rutgers, 11/18).
Rankings: Finished fourth in the Big Ten and 12th nationally in punting average (45.8)...Penn State's punting unit ranked second in the Big Ten and sixth nationally in net punting (42.9).
West Virginia (9/2): Had two punts for 75 yards with a long kick of 46 yards. Delaware (9/9): Hit a 47-yard punt to the Delaware 7 in the second quarter. at Illinois (9/16): Averaged 43.8 yards per kick on six punts...Knocked two punts inside the 20...Hit a 45-yard punt to the Illinois 19 in the second quarter and a 44-yard punt to the Illinois 12 in the fourth quarter. Iowa (9/23): Averaged 37.8 yards on four punts. at Northwestern (9/30): Averaged 46.8 yards on four punts...Landed a 39-yard punt at the Northwestern 19 in the first quarter and a 50-yard punt, fair caught at the Northwestern 16 in the fourth quarter. UMass (10/14): Hit a 47-yard punt to the UMass 10. at Ohio State (10/21): Averaged 43.7 yards on nine punts, including four inside the 20 and two punts of 50+ yards. Indiana (10/28): Had four punts of 50+ yards, including boots of 51, 50, 50, and 54 yards and averaged 49.0 yards on six punts for the game...Landed two punts inside the 10, a 46-yard boot to the Indiana 8-yard line in the first quarter and a 51-yard punt to the Hoosiers’ 10-yard line also in the first quarter. at Maryland (11/4): Hit a 46-yard punt to the Maryland 17 in the third quarter. Michigan (11/11): Averaged 49.0 yards per punt on five punts...Booted three punts of 50+ yards, a 50-yard punt in the second quarter, a 51-yard punt in the third quarter that was downed at the Michigan 3-yard line, and a 56-yard boot in the fourth quarter. Rutgers (11/18): Averaged 52 yards on two punts...Hit a 56-yard punt, tying his season long. at Michigan State (11/24): Punted three times and averaged 47 yards...Knocked two punts inside the 20 and had two kicks go for 50+ yards. vs. Ole Miss (12/30): Averaged 49.4 yards on five punts...Blasted a 51-yard punt in the second quarter...Hit a 48-yard punt to the Ole Miss 18 and booted a 54-yard punt in the third quarter.
2022 • FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Awards: 2022: Postseason: Named to The Athletic's and College Football News' Freshman All-American teams...Voted honorable mention All-Conference USA...Selected third-team All-Conference USA by Pro Football Focus.
Season: 2022: Appeared in all 12 games as FAU's punter...Had 61 punts for 2,770 yards (45.4) with a long of 71, 15 punts of 50-plus yards, 26 punts inside the 20 and just three touchbacks.
Rankings: 2022: Finished second in Conference USA in punting average (45.4; 12th nationally) and punts inside the 20 (26; T-15th), and was third in net punting (41.8; 15th).
2022: Charlotte (8/27): Had three punts totaling 140 yards (46.7) with a long of 54. at Ohio (9/3): Punted four times with a long of 47 yards, including two downed inside the 20. UCF (9/17): Had seven punts for 338 yards (48.3) with a long of 57 and three downed inside the 20. at Purdue (9/24): Landed two punts inside the 20. at North Texas (10/1): Had six punts for 259 yards (43.2) with two punts being downed inside the 10. Rice (10/15): Punted six times for 260 yards (46.7) with a long kick of 59 and three kicks landing inside the 20. UAB (10/29): Pinned punts at the one-yard line on back-to-back kicks...Had seven punts for 356 yards (50.9) with a long of 71 and four punts landing inside the 20. at FIU (11/12): Averaged 53.8 yards on four punts with a long of 70 yards...Landed three punts inside the 20. at Middle Tennessee (11/19): Pinned two punts inside the 20 and had a long punt of 57 yards. WKU (11/26): Averaged 46.7 yards on nine punts, landing three inside the 20.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Haileybury College and Deakin where he played Australian Rules Football.
PERSONAL
Full name is Riley Allen Thompson...Son of Helen and Mark Thompson...Has a sister, Jaimee...Majoring in labor and human resources at Penn State.