ATHENS----Sophomore punter Drew Butler has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team, it was announced by CoSIDA Thursday.

Butler carries a 3.52 grade point average (GPA) in Telecommunications Arts, and he now will be on the national ballot for Academic All-America honors. Members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) conduct the voting for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and All-America teams. To be nominated, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.3 GPA (on a 4.0 scale), be a starter or key reserve and reached sophomore year in athletic eligibility. The national winners will be announced Nov. 24.

Butler, who is in his first season as a starter, leads the nation with a 49.7-yard average on 38 punts, and the Bulldogs lead the NCAA in Net Punting at 44.1. He is on target to set a school record for the highest single season average. Currently, the mark is 45.4 set in 1984 by Chip Andrews. Butler was named a “Midseason All-American” by multiple outlets including Sporting News. He is on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate punter. The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists on Nov. 13.

In his most recent game, Butler averaged 52.5 yards on four punts against top-ranked Florida. In the season opener against ninth-ranked Oklahoma State, Butler posted a 57.0 average, which ranked as the second best in Bulldog history.  He has 21 punts of 50-plus yards this year including a career-best 75-yarder against the Cowboys.