Matt Araiza Season 2020

Final Bio

HONORS
* 2021 Ray Guy Award Award Winner
* 2021 The Action Network Special Teams Player of the Year
* 2021 Pro Football Network Best Punter
* 2021 NCAA Unanimous All-American
* 2021 Walter Camp All-American (first team)
* 2021 FWAA All-American (first team)
* 2021 Associated Press All-American (first team)
* 2021 Sporting News All-American (first team)
* 2021 AFCA All-American (first team)
* 2021 The Athletic All-American (first team)
* 2021 USA Today All-American (first team)
* 2021 ESPN All-American (first team)
* 2021 Phil Steele Magazine All-American (first team)
* 2021 Pro Football Focus All-American (first team)
* 2021 Pro Football Network All-American (first team)
* 2021 CBS Sports All-American (first team)
* 2021 College Football Focus All-American (first team)
* 2021 Bleacher Report All-American (first team)
* 2021 The Action Network All-American (first team)
* 2021 Sports Info Solutions (SIS) All-American (first team)
* 2021 Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year
* 2021 All-Mountain West first team (P) - Mountain West Media & Coaches
* 2021 All-Mountain West second team (K) - Mountain West Media & Coaches
* Two-time Honorable Mention All-Mountain West (K) (2019-20)
* 2022 NFF Hampshire Honor Society
* Two-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete (2019-20)
* Three-time Mountain West Fall All-Academic Team (2019-21)
* Five-time Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week
- Sept. 9, 2019 for game at UCLA
- Sept. 27, 2021 for game vs. Towson
- Oct. 18, 2021 for game at San Jose State
- Oct. 25, 2021 for game at Air Force
- Nov. 15, 2021 for game vs. Nevada

Pronounced Ah-RIZE-ah ... Played right away in 2019 after taking over for two-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist John Baron II ... A left-footed kicker with a cannon of a leg ... In addition to field goals, PATs and kickoff duties, he punted his junior season ... Made a field goal in the first 17 games of his career prior to not attempting one at Nevada on Nov. 21, 2020 ... For his career, ranked in a tie for second at SDSU in field goals (50) and fourth in field goal percentage (.735, min. 25 att.) ... Had multiple field goals in 17 of his 35 career games ... Had a school-record six career punts of at least 70 yards in 84 career attempts, which was three more than Michael Hughes (230 career punts) in second ... Was nicknamed “Punt God” because of his viral 70 and 80-yard punts.

JUNIOR SEASON (2021)
Won the Ray Guy Award, which goes out to the most outstanding punter ... Is the first Aztec to win a major postseason award in program history and just the third from a Group of 5 school to win the Ray Guy Award (Tom Hornsey of Memphis in 2013 and Ryan Allen of Louisiana Tech in 2011 and 2012) ... Has been named The Action Network Special Teams Player of the Year and the Pro Football Network Best Punter ... Became SDSU’s second unanimous All-American, joining Marshall Faulk (1992 and 1993) ... Also was one of SDSU’s four consensus All-Americans (Marshall Faulk in 1992 and 1993, Kyle Turley in 1997 and Rashaad Penny in 2017) ... Also was chosen as a first-team All-American by Walter Camp, FWAA, Associated Press, Sporting News, AFCA, The Athletic, USA Today, ESPN, Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Network, CBS Sports, College Football Focus, Bleacher Report, The Action Network and Sports Info Solutions (SIS) ... Was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year, joining Rashaad Penny (2015-17) as the only Aztecs to win the award in league history ... In addition to being named a first-team all-MW punter, Araiza was chosen as a second-team kicker, and joined Brigham Young's Matt Payne (2004) and Utah's Louie Sakoda (2007-08) as the only players to make a MW first or second team in the same season at both punter and kicker ... Was named to the Pro Football Focus Mountain West Team of the Year (first team) ... Earlier was named to four midseason All-America teams, including three on the first team (Associated Press, ESPN and Sporting News) and one on the second team (The Athletic) ...  Was named a “Ray’s 8” for one of the top-eight punters in the country three times following a game (Sept. 7, Sept. 28 and Oct. 18) ... Also was four times been named a Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 15) ... Was named a preseason third-team all-Mountain West selection by Athlon Sports at kicker ... Also deemed “SDSU’s fifth-best offensive player” by College Football News ... Made all 45 of his PATs and was 18-for-28 in field goal attempts with three 50-yarders ... Was even better in the punting game, punting 79 times for 4,044 yards (51.2 avg.) with 39 of at least 50 yards, 18 of at least 60 yards, six of at least 70 yards, two of at least 80 yards, 37 inside the 20, 17 fair catches and a long of 86 yards ... Had a net punt average of 44.22 ... Also kicked off 73 times (excluding onsides attempts) for 4,749 yards and a 65.05 average (perfect in regulation kicks is 65.0) along with 62 touchbacks ... Set NCAA FBS records in punt average (51.19), 60-yard punts (18) and 50-yard punts (39) in a season, and likely 70-yard punts (6) ... Led all FBS players in punt average (51.19), total punt yards (4,044) and punt yards per game (288.86), and is tied for first in PAT percentage (100.00), tied for second in punts inside the 20-yard line (37, 1st in MW), third in total punts (79, 2nd in MW), third in kickoff average (65.05, 1st in MW), fifth in kickoff touchback percentage (84.93, 1st in MW), seventh in net punt average (44.2, 1st in MW), tied for seventh in field goal attempts (28, 5th in MW), eighth in kickoff touchbacks (62, 1st in MW), tied for 11th in punts per game (5.64, T-2nd in MW) and tied for 14th in field goal attempts per game (2.00, T-5th in MW) ... Also ranked third in the league in kickoff yards (4,749, 29th in FBS), made PATs (45, T-36th in FBS), total kickoffs (73, T-37th in FBS) and attempted PATs (45, T-38th in FBS), fifth in total points (99, T-49th in FBS) and kicking points (99, T-30th in FBS), tied for fifth in made field goals (18, T-31st in FBS), tied for seventh in made field goals per game (1.29, T-42nd in FBS), and eighth in points per game (7.07) ... Had six punts of at least 70 yards, the most in the country (five tied for second with two 70-yard punts) ... His 70-plus-yard punts ranked last season: 86 yards (1st), 81 yards (T-5th), 79 yards (9th), 77 yards (T-12th), 75 yards (T-17th) and 72 yards (T-28th) ... If you take away the 16 times last season he punted inside the opponents’ territory (for 606 yards), he averaged 54.57 yards per boot (63 punts for 3,438 yards) ... According to Pro Football Focus, he had the highest kickoff grade (93.5) in the country with his true kickoff average being 69.9 yards per boot ... Led the special teams unit with six tackles and four on the punt unit, while tying for first with two on the kickoff unit ... Had a great opener against New Mexico State on Sept. 4, punting nine times for 511 yards, setting a school record with a 56.78 average (min. 4 punts) ... The 56.78 average broke the previous record by almost two yards (Mike Saxon, 54.83 on six punts at Brigham Young on Oct. 22, 1983), and was the third-highest single-game FBS average last season (min. 5 punts) and the third-best mark in league history (min. 5 punts) ... Since 1996, an FBS player has had at least nine punts in a game 2,130 times. Araiza’s 56.8 average is the second-highest average (min. 9 punts) in the last 26 seasons, only trailing a 57.7 average by Wake Forest’s Dom Maggio against Clemson on Nov. 16, 2019 ... Included in his nine punts were a 77-yarder in the second quarter, which was the longest since Brian Stahovich’s school-record 89 yarder at Wyoming on Oct. 30, 2010 ... Later added a 75-yarder ... Four of his nine punts landed inside the 20-yard line, while six were at least 50 yards ... The six 50-yard punts (at 39 feet elevation) were one short of the NCAA record of seven (according to the NCAA record book), set by Colorado’s Mark Mariscal vs. USC on Sept. 14, 2002 at 5,328 feet elevation in Boulder, Colorado ... Off his nine punts, New Mexico State's average starting position was its own 22-yard line ... Also made all four of his PATs without attempting a field goal ... Also was perfect on five kickoffs for 325 yards and five touchbacks ... Was named the team’s special teams player of the game and was chosen as a “Ray’s 8” by the Ray Guy Award ... Had another good game at Arizona on Sept. 11, going 1-for-2 on field goal attempts (making a 32-yarder and missing a 57-yarder) and all five PATs ... Also punted seven times for 372 yards (53.1 avg.) with a long of 66 yards, including three inside the 20-yard line ... Kicked off seven times for 455 yards (65.0 avg.) with all seven going for touchbacks ... Was effective against Utah on Sept. 18, making a career-long 51-yard field goal, punting nine times for 463 yards (51.4 avg.) with a long of 64 yards, and kicking off five times for 325 yards (64.8) and five touchbacks ... Had SDSU’s first 50-yard field goal by the Aztecs since John Baron II had a 53-yarder against Hawai'i on Nov. 24, 2018 ... The 51-yarder came on his third career attempt from at least 50 yards (previous attempts came at Colorado on Nov. 28, 2020 and at Arizona on Sept. 11, 2021) and put the Aztecs on the scoreboard ... Tied a career high with nine punts for 463 yards (51.4 avg.) with a long of 64 yards and three inside the 20-yard line ... Also matched a career high with three tackles ... Kicked off five times for 324 yards (64.8 avg.) with four going for touchbacks ... Was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 27 for his play against Towson (Sept. 25) when he punted three times for 197 yards and a 65.7 average with two inside the 20-yard line, making both of his field goal attempts (48 and 36 yards) and all six PATs, kicking off eight times with six going for touchbacks and logging a solo tackle on one of his kickoffs ... Tied a career high with 12 points ... In the punting game, where he had a long of 72 yards, his 65.7 punt average was the highest in an FBS game since at least 1996 (min. 3 punts), more than a yard ahead the No. 2 player on the list (Florida Atlantic’s Dalton Schomp (64.3) against Old Dominion on Nov. 19, 2016) and almost four yards further than the top MW performer in a game in league history (Colorado State’s Pete Kontodiakos (61.8) against Hawai’i on Oct. 27, 2012) ... The 65.7 average on three punts easily eclipsed his school-record average of 56.8 against New Mexico State on Sept. 4, 2021, but he didn’t reach the minimum (4 punts) allowed to count for the program record ... Off his punts, Towson had an average starting fielding position of its own 13.3-yard line as he ended up with a 59.0 net punt average ... Was named the team’s special teams player of the game (with Tyrell Shavers) and was chosen as a “Ray’s 8” by the Ray Guy Award ... After making a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter, he added a 36-yarder in the fourth, which capped a 17-play, 64-yard drive for the Aztecs and took up 10:31 of playing time ... With his eight touchbacks, the Tigers started on its own 24.4-yard line ... The one time he did not kick off in the fourth quarter, Towson returned the kickoff 73 yards and started on SDSU’s 24-yard line ... Had another good game against New Mexico on Oct. 9, making a 40-yard field goal and all four of his PATs, while punting five times for 241 yards (48.2 avg.) with a long of 64 yard and a net average of 42.0 ... A then career-high two of the punts were fair caught and two were returned for 11 yards (the other was a touchback) ... Also kicked off six times for 390 yards (perfect 65.0 avg.) with two touchbacks ... New Mexico returned four kickoffs in the end zone for 82 yards, giving the Lobos an average starting position of 20.5 on the returns and 22.0 on the five overall attempts ... Was named the team’s special teams player of the game (with Isaiah McElvane) for the third time ... Was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time of the season on Oct. 18 for his play at San José State on Oct. 15, as he scored seven of SDSU’s 19 points with two field goals and a PAT, including a career-long 53-yard field goal in the second quarter, which is tied for the sixth-longest field goal in program history and tied for the 18th longest in the country last season (T-1st in MW) ... Also punted seven times for a 52.9 average with a career-long punt of 86 yards, which is the second longest in school history, the longest in a FBS game this season and the fourth longest in MW history ... Set a career high with four fair catches off his punts and tied a career high with four punts inside the 20-yard line as the Spartans averaged starting at the 19.7-yard line off his seven punts ... Also kicked off three times for a perfect 65.0-yard average with three touchbacks ... Was named the team’s special teams player of the week ... Was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Week the following week on Oct. 25 for his play in a 20-14 win at Air Force on Oct. 23 ... Punted five times for a 54.8 yard average and 50.8 net punt average with a long of 81 yards. What’s amazing about his 54.8 yard average is that one of his punts was inside Air Force territory (for 29 yards) ... If you take away that punt, he averaged 61.3 yards per boot ... Matched a career high with four punts inside the 20-yard line ... Had a long of 81 yards, which was the longest in the nation for he week and tied for the fifth-longest punt this season ... Off his five punts, Air Force’s average starting field position was the 17.8-yard line ... Also was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts, including a 51-yarder, and 2-for-2 in PATs for eight of SDSU’s 20 points in the game ... Also kicked off five times for a perfect 65.0 average with five touchbacks ... Was named the team’s special teams player of the week ... Was counted on to punt six times against Fresno State with a career-high five landing inside the 20-yard line ... Posted 38.8 average with five of his six punts coming inside the Bulldog side of the field ... Also made both of his PATs ... Missed a 55-yard field goal, which would have been a career long ... Also kicked off three times with all going for touchback ... Had another good game at Hawai’i on Nov. 6, punting five times for 248 yards, averaging 49.6 yards per boot, with two finishing inside the 20-yard line ... Had a long punt of 79 yards, which was the longest in the country for the week and the ninth-longest in the country ... His average was somewhat hurt by punting twice inside Hawai’i's territory and another time at the 50 ... When having a full field he punted 79 yards and then 46 for a 62.5 average ... Was 2-for-2 in PATs and 1-for-2 on field goal attempts, making a 39-yarder and only missing a 53-yarder (which would have tied a career long), accounting for five of SDSU’s 17 points ... Also kicked off four times with three touchbacks, averaging 64.8 yards per kickoff ... Was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Week for a fourth time of the season for his play against Nevada on Nov. 13 when he averaged 55.6 yards per punt, which was the highest average in the nation that week (min. 5 punts) with the long going for 62 yards ... If you take away the punt where he punted from the Nevada 42-yard line, he averaged 59.0 yards per boot ... Also tied a career high with three field goals, including his first career game-winner with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter ... Ended up making kicks of 48, 39 and 35, with his lone miss coming from 55 yards with one second left in the first half, and both of his PATs ... Also kicked off six times for a perfect 65.0-yard average and four touchbacks ... Was named the team’s special teams player of the game for the sixth time ... Averaged 47.5 yards per punt at UNLV on Nov. 19 with none of the six being returned ... Off his six punts, UNLV averaged starting on its own 13-yard line ... Tied a career high with five of his punts inside the 20-yard line, including three inside the 10 and one at the 1 ... Made all four of his PATs (did not attempt a field goal) ... Also kicked off five times with all going for touchbacks ... Was named the team’s special teams player of the game for the seventh game ... Has a busy game at against Boise State on Nov. 26 ... Punted six times for 285 yards (47.5 avg.) with a long of 61 yards ... Two of his six punts landed inside the 20-yard line ... If take away the two times he punted inside his opponents’ side of the field (for 79 yards), he averaged 51.5 yards per punt (four punts for 206 yards) ... Also was 2-for-4 in field goal attempts, connecting on a 31 and a 37-yarder, and missing from 48 and 42 with a new holder ... Made all three of his PAT tries ... Recorded his fifth game  of the season with multiple field goals and 16th of his career ... Also kicked off six times with all going for touchbacks ... Punted three times for 147 yards (49.0 avg.) with a long of 57 in the MW Championship game against Utah State on Dec. 4, but did have two punts blocked, including one that went down as a safety ... Also made a pair of field goals (23 and 36 yards) while missing a 54-yarder, and one PAT ... Kicked off four times for 267 yards and a career-high 66.8 average (SDSU had to kick off at its own 20-yard line after the safety), recording three touchbacks ... Punted three times for 140 yards (46.7 avg.) against UTSA in the Frisco Bowl ... Became the all-time leader in punt average (51.19) ... Also made a 33-yard field goal and all five PATs ... The field goal was his 18th of the season (T-4th in SDSU single-season history) and 50th of his career (T-2nd in SDSU history) ... Kicked off six times for 390 yards (65.0 avg.) with all going for touchbacks..

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2020)
Earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors for a second consecutive season as voted on by the league’s coaches and media  ... Was named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List as the nation’s top college placekicker ... Also was a preseason first-team all-Mountain West selection by Phil Steele Magazine and a third-team pick by Athlon Sports ... College Football News deemed him “SDSU’s third-best offensive player” ... Played in all eight games on the season, including eight times as the kicker and kickoff specialist, and once as the punter ... Was 10-for-14 (.714) in field goal attempts and 23-for-24 (.958) in PATs ... Led the team with 53 points ... Kicked off 41 times for 2,637 yards (64.3 avg.) with 28 touchbacks ... Also punted five times for 249 yards (49.8 avg.) with four of the five punts going for at least 50 yards and a long of 58 yards ... Two of his five punts landed inside the 20-yard line ... Led the Mountain West in kickoff average (64.32, T-7th in FBS), kickoff touchback percentage (68.29, 15th in FBS), kickoff touchbacks (28, T-29th in FBS), kickoff yards (2,637, 55th in FBS) and total kickoffs (41, T-60th in FBS) ... Made both of his field goal attempts and all four PATs against UNLV on Oct. 24, accounting for 10 of the team’s 34 points ...  Also recorded his first career six punts for 249 yards (49.8 avg.) with a long of 58 yards, with two going inside the 20-yard line ... The 58-yarder was the longest in an Aztec season opener in their Division I era (since 1969) ... Four of his six punts were for at least 50 yards, while posting a 47.0 net average ... Also kicked off six times for 389 yards for an almost perfect average of 64.8 with three touchbacks ... Was 1-for-3 in field goal attempts at Utah State on Oct. 31, connecting on a 28-yarder after having a 33-yard attempt blocked and missing a 45-yarder ... Made all five of his PATs ... Also kicked off seven times for 450 yards (64.3 avg.) with four touchbacks ... Was perfect in the kicking game against San José State on Nov. 6, making a 34-yard field goal and both of his PATs, while kicking off four times for 260 yards (65.0 avg.) with two touchbacks ... Scored 10 of SDSU’s 34 points against Hawai’i on Nov. 14, making both of his field goal attempts (27 and 36 yards) and all four of his PATs ...  Also kicked off seven times for a perfect 65.0 average, 455 yards and seven touchbacks ... Made all three of his PATs at Nevada on Nov. 21 ... Did not attempt a field goal, snapping a streak of 17 consecutive games with at least one field goal to start his career ... Also kicked off four times, all going for touchbacks (65.0 avg.) ... Had a 48-yard field goal at Colorado, which tied a career long ... Also missed twice, having a 50-yarder blocked and a 44-yarder go wide right ... Kicked off three times for 186 yards (62.0 avg.) with two touchbacks ... Scored 11 of SDSU’s 29 points against Colorado State on Dec. 5, going 3-for-3 in field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards, while making two of three PATs ... The three field goals tied a career high (also at UCLA on Sept. 7, 2019) ... Missed a PAT after SDSU’s third touchdown, snapping a streak of 49 PATs without a miss to start his career ... Had multiple field goals for the third time this season and 11th of his career ... Also kicked off seven times for 442 yards (63.1 avg.) with three touchbacks ... Also recorded the first two tackles of his career on kickoffs ... Did not attempt a field goal at No. 14/16 Brigham Young, but made both of his PATs ... Also kicked off three times for 195 yards (65.0 avg.) with all going for touchbacks.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2019)
Was named an all-Mountain West honorable-mention selection as voted on by the league’s coaches and media ... Also was a second-team all-MW pick by Phil Steele Magazine ... Handled all kicking duties except punting in the 13 games ... Was 22-for-26 (.846) on the season in field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards, while making all 28 of his PATs ... Set a school single-season record with 22 field goals, surpassing John Baron II’s 21 in 2016, and tied for fifth in field goal percentage (84.62) ... Led the Aztecs with 94 points (No. 2 was 30) and had more points than the next three players combined (78) ... Also kicked off 65 times for 4,057 yards with 51 touchbacks for a 62.4 kickoff average ... Tied for the FBS lead with a perfect PAT percentage, and led the Mountain West in touchback percentage (78.46, 6th in FBS), field goals (22, T-11th in FBS), field goals per game (1.69, T-12th in FBS), field goal attempts (26, T-15th in FBS) and touchbacks (51, T-16th in FBS), while ranking third in field goal percentage (84.62, 24th) and kickoff average (62.77, 34th in FBS), tied for fourth in kicking points (94, T-47th in FBS), fifth in kickoff yards (4,080, 57th in FBS) and points per game (7.23), sixth in total points (94, T-72nd in FBS) and seventh in kickoffs (65, T-60th in FBS) ... Among freshmen kickers in the country, he ranked first in field goals (22), and was third in field goal percentage (84.62) and eighth in points by kickers (94) ... Was one of only five kickers in FBS play to make at least one field goal in every game (min. 12 games) ... Accounted for all of San Diego State’s points in a 6-0 win over Weber State in the opener, knocking in a pair of field goals (34 and 29 yards) in his first collegiate action ... Also kicked off three times for 195 yards and a perfect average of 65.0 yards per boot ... Was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time of his career on Sept. 9 for his play at UCLA when he went 3-for-4 on field goal attempts and 2-for-2 on PATs, while posting five touchbacks in six kickoffs ... Made a then career-long 43-yarder in the first quarter, while his three field goals and 11 points were also a then career best ... His other makes came from 31 and 25, while his lone miss was from 47 yards ... Made multiple field goals for a second straight game ... Made a 40-yard field goal and nailed all four PAT tries at New Mexico State ... Also kicked off six times for 390 yards and a perfect 65.0 average, posting a then career-high six touchbacks ... Made his only field goal attempt from 22 yards and was perfect on two PAT tries vs. Utah State ... Kicked off four times for 244 yards (61.0 avg.) with one touchback ... Made a 22-yard field goal and converted all three PATs at Colorado State ... Also kicked off five times for 323 yards (64.6 avg.) with four touchbacks ... Was 2-for-3 in field goal attempts and 2-for-2 in PATs against Wyoming ... Had a career long of 47 yards in the first quarter ... Also kicked off six times for 390 yards (65.0 avg.), tying a career best with average (65.0) and touchbacks (6) ... Was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards at San José State, while going 3-for-3 in PATs ... Also kicked off six times for 347 yards (57.8 avg.) with four going for touchbacks ... Was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts and 2-for-2 in PATs at UNLV ... Also kicked off five times for five touchbacks and 325 yards for a perfect 65.0 kickoff average ... Was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts and 1-for-1 in PATs vs. Nevada ... Had his fourth straight game with multiple field goals ... Also kicked off four times for 246 yards (61.5 avg.) with three touchbacks ... Made a 22-yard field goal against Fresno State, but later had a 42-yard attempt blocked ... Made both of his PATs ... Also kicked off four times for 260 yards (65.0 avg.) with two touchbacks ... Was 1-for-2 on field goal attempts at Hawai’i, making a 27-yarder, but missing a 48-yarder in the waning moments ... Also kicked off three times for 174 yards (58.0 avg.) with two touchbacks ... Was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards and made his PAT against Brigham Young, accounting for seven of the team’s 13 points ... Was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts, including a career-long 48-yard make, and 6-for-6 in PATs against Central Michigan in the New Mexico Bowl, setting a career high with 12 points ... The two field goals gave him 22 for the season, passing John Baron II’s (21 in 2016) for the most in SDSU single-season history ... Also finished 22-for-26 (.846) in field goal attempts, tied for the fifth-best mark in SDSU single-season history ... Had multiple field goals for the eighth time on the season and finished with at least one field goal in all 13 games ... Also kicked off a career-high nine times for a career-best nine touchbacks, recording a perfect 65.0 kickoff average for the sixth time of the season.

REDSHIRT SEASON (2018)
Was on the travel squad for the entire season, but ultimately used his redshirt learning behind two-time all-MW kicker John Baron II.

HIGH SCHOOL
Kicked and punted for three years at local Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, Calif. ... According to MaxPreps, connected on 37 of his 48 field goal attempts for his career with a long of 53 yards ... Also averaged 41.7 yards per punt (120 punts for 5,001 yards) with a long of 71 yards ... Out of 221 kickoffs, 179 went for touchbacks ... Had a solid senior campaign in 2017, making 12 of his 16 field goal attempts with a long of 53 yards, while punting 39 times for 1,712 yards (43.9 avg.) and finishing with touchbacks on 49 of his 51 kickoffs ... Also played some time as a defensive back ... His 37 field goals were a San Diego Section record, breaking former Aztec Nate Tandberg's 34, set from 1993-95 at the same Rancho Bernardo HS ... Was a MaxPreps Sophomore First-Team All-American and a first-team California Medium Schools pick ... A three-time all-CIF San Diego Section Kicker of the Year and two-time Palomar League Kicker of the Year ... A two-star recruit by 247sports and the 19th-best kicker by the outlet ... Also competed in soccer and track and field at RBHS ... In track and field, set the freshmen 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles school records.

PERSONAL
Matthew Ryan Araiza was born May 16, 2000, in San Diego ... Son of Rico and Kerry Araiza ... Also received scholarship offers from Massachusetts and Montana, while being recruited by Stanford, Michigan, UCLA and San Diego ... Is majoring in interdisciplinary studies.

SINGLE-GAME BESTS
Points: 12 vs. Towson (9/25/21), vs. Central Michigan (12/21/19)
Field Goals: 3 vs. Nevada (11/13/21), vs. Colorado State (12/5/20), at UCLA (9/7/19)
Long Field Goal: 53 at San José State (10/15/21)
Punts: 9 vs. Utah (9/18/21), vs. New Mexico State (9/4/21)
Punt Yards: 511 vs. New Mexico State (9/4/21)
Punt Avg. (min. 2 attempts): 65.7 (3-for-197) vs. Towson (9/25/21)
Net Punt Avg. (min. 2 attempts): 59.0 vs. Towson (9/25/21)
Punt Long: 86 at San José State (10/15/21)
Punt Fair Catches: 4 vs. San José State (10/15/21)
Punts Inside 20: 5 vs. Fresno State (10/30/31)
Kickoffs: 9 vs. Central Michigan (12/21/19)
Touchbacks (KO): 9 vs. Central Michigan (12/21/19)
Kickoff Avg. (More than 1 att.): 66.8 vs. Utah State (12/4/21)
Tackles: 3 vs. Utah (9/18/21)