Two weeks ago to the day, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Horizon High School punter Kanyon Floyd received an offer from the Sun Devils. The obvious familiarity with the local program and positive recruiting experience resonated quickly with him, leading the 2024 prospect to join the ranks in Tempe.
“I didn't see a reason waiting any longer,” Floyd said on his decision to commit today. “It's just such a good opportunity because scholarships are hard to come by with specialists and it's a great place with great coaches and just a perfect fit. I love being close to home, where lots of people can come watch my games. I obviously know the school well, and I like the city and the campus. I have pretty good grades (4.7 GPA), and I might try and go to Barrett Honors College.
As a junior, ASU's 2024 punter commit averaged 50.2 yards, with his longest being 80 yards and placing 14 of his 43 punts inside the 20-yard line. He also had 17 of his 63 kickoffs result in touchbacks.
Floyd received offers from Army, Navy, and Air Force, all schools he had visited, and had several power five schools such as Washington, Cal, Oklahoma, and Florida show interest in them. The relationship he has developed with Arizona State's special team coordinator, Charlie Ragle, was naturally a significant factor in his ultimate decision.
“I like him because he was straightforward,” Floyd said of Ragle, “And he told me what his plan was for me, how he wants me to develop, and what he needs me to do. I like that he's so passionate about football, and you could tell how much time and energy he puts into it. I can tell he's going to be a good coach for me. (Head) Coach Dillingham told me that he’s excited to have me, and I heard a lot of good stuff about him from coach Ragle. I think he’s a good young coach that ASU needs.”
Former Arizona State specialist Steve Rausch the founder of Rausch Kicking, an academy that has trained dozens of kickers from all levels, including all of the current Sun Devils specialists, has worked extensively with Floyd and was effusive with his praise over ASU’s newest 2024 class addition.
“ASU is getting one of the more elite athletes that I’ve ever coached,” Rausch stated. “He has one of the fastest legs of any punter I’ve ever witnessed in high school. He’s a combo kid in high school, which a lot of the elite guys are doing all three: kickoffs, punts, and field goals. Phenomenal kid with a 4.7 GPA. So he’s a true student-athlete who’s humble and hardworking. He also plays soccer and runs track, which is why he’s such a great athlete.”
Rausch said that Floyd’s 50-plus yard punting average was one the highest in the nation last season, and therefore he wasn’t surprised by the ASU offer, as well as the interest the punter was receiving from coast to coast. He added that the two discussed all of the college opportunities that awaited Floyd, including ASU. Now with that important decision behind Floyd, Rausch said that he will focus on the skills that the punter will need to improve on prior to his Tempe arrival.
“Punting is the hardest discipline of all three, which includes long snapping and field goal kicking,” Rausch explained. “So, we’ll continue to work on his overall operations time. Anybody that knows anything about putting realizes that the drop is extremely important. His hand-eye coordination and his athleticism are just elite. But operations time is the one thing that I work on with all these guys, no matter what level is that they’re going to play. Post-high school, everything speeds up, and the players are bigger, stronger, and faster, and that’s the same with specialists as well. So that’s part of it, but not limiting or taking away from what makes Floyd special, which is his elite leg, speed, and power.”
Floyd is the sixth Sun Devil pledge in the school's 2024 recruiting class and the second local prospect to commit to that group, along with Scottsdale Desert Mountain athlete Dylan Tapley. He joins wide receivers Elijah Baesa and Zechariah Sample and defensive back Tony-Louis Nkuba all three from the state of Texas, as well as Louisana EDGE Albert Smith. Floyd is scheduled to graduate high school in the Spring of 2024 and, upon arrival, will compete for the starting punter job vacated by Josh Carlson, the New Mexico State transfer who will exhaust his last year of college eligibility in Tempe this year.
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