2016 National Leaders Opponent Punt Returns - Games vs. Ranked Teams Only (AP Poll) through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Ret. | Yards | Avg. | TD | Ret./G | Yards/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Tech | 2 | 2 | -5 | -2.50 | 0 | 1.0 | -2.5 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 4 | 3 | -4 | -1.33 | 0 | 0.8 | -1.0 |
| 3 | LSU | 5 | 4 | -3 | -0.75 | 0 | 0.8 | -0.6 |
| 4 | Tulane | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Oklahoma State | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0.50 | 0 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| 5 | Auburn | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0.67 | 0 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| 7 | Vanderbilt | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0.67 | 0 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| 8 | TCU | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1.33 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| 8 | Texas Tech | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2.00 | 0 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| 10 | Northern Illinois | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0.75 | 0 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
| 11 | Mississippi State | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1.50 | 0 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 4 | 3 | 8 | 2.67 | 0 | 0.8 | 2.0 |
| 13 | Washington | 4 | 3 | 9 | 3.00 | 0 | 0.8 | 2.3 |
| 14 | Texas | 3 | 6 | 8 | 1.33 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| 14 | NC State | 3 | 2 | 8 | 4.00 | 0 | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| 16 | Temple | 2 | 6 | 6 | 1.00 | 0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| 16 | Buffalo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| 18 | Purdue | 4 | 5 | 13 | 2.60 | 0 | 1.3 | 3.3 |
| 19 | Charlotte | 2 | 6 | 7 | 1.17 | 0 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| 19 | West Virginia | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7.00 | 0 | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| 21 | Clemson | 7 | 5 | 25 | 5.00 | 0 | 0.7 | 3.6 |
| 22 | Kansas State | 4 | 8 | 15 | 1.88 | 0 | 2.0 | 3.8 |
| 23 | Southern Miss | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| 23 | Michigan State | 4 | 3 | 20 | 6.67 | 0 | 0.8 | 5.0 |
| 23 | Houston | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10.00 | 0 | 0.5 | 5.0 |
| 26 | Oregon State | 3 | 3 | 16 | 5.33 | 0 | 1.0 | 5.3 |
| 27 | Eastern Michigan | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6.00 | 0 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 28 | Missouri | 3 | 11 | 19 | 1.73 | 0 | 3.7 | 6.3 |
| 28 | Iowa State | 4 | 5 | 25 | 5.00 | 0 | 1.3 | 6.3 |
| 28 | Washington State | 3 | 2 | 19 | 9.50 | 0 | 0.7 | 6.3 |
| 31 | Marshall | 2 | 3 | 13 | 4.33 | 0 | 1.5 | 6.5 |
| 32 | Ohio State | 6 | 9 | 40 | 4.44 | 0 | 1.5 | 6.7 |
| 33 | Idaho | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 7.0 |
| 34 | USC | 5 | 4 | 36 | 9.00 | 0 | 0.8 | 7.2 |
| 35 | Georgia | 2 | 4 | 15 | 3.75 | 0 | 2.0 | 7.5 |
| 35 | Connecticut | 2 | 3 | 15 | 5.00 | 0 | 1.5 | 7.5 |
| 37 | Arkansas State | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8.00 | 0 | 1.0 | 8.0 |
| 38 | Wake Forest | 4 | 8 | 33 | 4.13 | 0 | 2.0 | 8.3 |
| 39 | Miami (FL) | 4 | 6 | 34 | 5.67 | 0 | 1.5 | 8.5 |
| 40 | Arkansas | 5 | 10 | 44 | 4.40 | 0 | 2.0 | 8.8 |
| 40 | Maryland | 4 | 4 | 35 | 8.75 | 0 | 1.0 | 8.8 |
| 42 | Texas A&M | 3 | 3 | 27 | 9.00 | 0 | 1.0 | 9.0 |
| 43 | Bowling Green | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3.33 | 0 | 3.0 | 10.0 |
| 43 | Penn State | 7 | 9 | 70 | 7.78 | 0 | 1.3 | 10.0 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | 7 | 13 | 74 | 5.69 | 0 | 1.9 | 10.6 |
| 46 | Arizona | 4 | 9 | 52 | 5.78 | 0 | 2.3 | 13.0 |
| 46 | Toledo | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 13.0 |
| 48 | Cincinnati | 2 | 3 | 27 | 9.00 | 0 | 1.5 | 13.5 |
| 49 | Kentucky | 3 | 7 | 42 | 6.00 | 0 | 2.3 | 14.0 |
| 50 | Louisville | 3 | 6 | 44 | 7.33 | 0 | 2.0 | 14.7 |
| 51 | Georgia State | 1 | 2 | 15 | 7.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 15.0 |
| 51 | Western Kentucky | 1 | 2 | 15 | 7.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 15.0 |
| 51 | Miami (OH) | 1 | 1 | 15 | 15.00 | 0 | 1.0 | 15.0 |
| 54 | UCF | 3 | 3 | 46 | 15.33 | 0 | 1.0 | 15.3 |
| 55 | Navy | 2 | 1 | 31 | 31.00 | 0 | 0.5 | 15.5 |
| 56 | Iowa | 5 | 8 | 80 | 10.00 | 0 | 1.6 | 16.0 |
| 57 | Alabama | 6 | 8 | 97 | 12.13 | 0 | 1.3 | 16.2 |
| 58 | Minnesota | 4 | 14 | 68 | 4.86 | 0 | 3.5 | 17.0 |
| 58 | Georgia Tech | 3 | 6 | 51 | 8.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 17.0 |
| 60 | Michigan | 6 | 13 | 104 | 8.00 | 0 | 2.2 | 17.3 |
| 61 | Akron | 2 | 5 | 36 | 7.20 | 0 | 2.5 | 18.0 |
| 61 | Central Michigan | 2 | 2 | 36 | 18.00 | 0 | 1.0 | 18.0 |
| 63 | Arizona State | 3 | 10 | 55 | 5.50 | 0 | 3.3 | 18.3 |
| 64 | Memphis | 2 | 1 | 37 | 37.00 | 0 | 0.5 | 18.5 |
| 65 | Colorado State | 1 | 2 | 19 | 9.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 19.0 |
| 66 | Utah | 3 | 6 | 61 | 10.17 | 1 | 2.0 | 20.3 |
| 67 | Oregon | 5 | 9 | 104 | 11.56 | 0 | 1.8 | 20.8 |
| 68 | Georgia Southern | 1 | 1 | 21 | 21.00 | 0 | 1.0 | 21.0 |
| 69 | Stanford | 3 | 6 | 68 | 11.33 | 0 | 2.0 | 22.7 |
| 70 | North Texas | 1 | 5 | 23 | 4.60 | 0 | 5.0 | 23.0 |
| 70 | Indiana | 4 | 13 | 92 | 7.08 | 0 | 3.3 | 23.0 |
| 72 | Boston College | 4 | 16 | 96 | 6.00 | 0 | 4.0 | 24.0 |
| 73 | Notre Dame | 3 | 8 | 74 | 9.25 | 1 | 2.7 | 24.7 |
| 74 | Northwestern | 6 | 10 | 149 | 14.90 | 0 | 1.7 | 24.8 |
| 75 | Illinois | 5 | 9 | 129 | 14.33 | 1 | 1.8 | 25.8 |
| 76 | Florida State | 5 | 7 | 131 | 18.71 | 1 | 1.4 | 26.2 |
| 77 | California | 3 | 7 | 79 | 11.29 | 0 | 2.3 | 26.3 |
| 78 | SMU | 2 | 5 | 53 | 10.60 | 0 | 2.5 | 26.5 |
| 78 | Tennessee | 4 | 6 | 106 | 17.67 | 1 | 1.5 | 26.5 |
| 80 | Hawaii | 1 | 2 | 28 | 14.00 | 0 | 2.0 | 28.0 |
| 81 | Virginia | 3 | 6 | 85 | 14.17 | 0 | 2.0 | 28.3 |
| 81 | Kansas | 3 | 4 | 85 | 21.25 | 1 | 1.3 | 28.3 |
| 83 | Syracuse | 6 | 18 | 174 | 9.67 | 1 | 3.0 | 29.0 |
| 84 | Duke | 3 | 7 | 89 | 12.71 | 1 | 2.3 | 29.7 |
| 85 | Rutgers | 5 | 14 | 161 | 11.50 | 1 | 2.8 | 32.2 |
| 86 | Pittsburgh | 4 | 15 | 129 | 8.60 | 0 | 3.8 | 32.3 |
| 87 | Louisiana-Monroe | 2 | 7 | 65 | 9.29 | 0 | 3.5 | 32.5 |
| 88 | Massachusetts | 1 | 4 | 33 | 8.25 | 0 | 4.0 | 33.0 |
| 89 | Florida | 4 | 8 | 134 | 16.75 | 1 | 2.0 | 33.5 |
| 90 | USF | 2 | 6 | 70 | 11.67 | 0 | 3.0 | 35.0 |
| 91 | Kent State | 3 | 9 | 112 | 12.44 | 1 | 3.0 | 37.3 |
| 92 | Nebraska | 3 | 10 | 114 | 11.40 | 0 | 3.3 | 38.0 |
| 93 | Ole Miss | 4 | 8 | 154 | 19.25 | 1 | 2.0 | 38.5 |
| 94 | Colorado | 5 | 11 | 196 | 17.82 | 2 | 2.2 | 39.2 |
| 95 | East Carolina | 3 | 6 | 120 | 20.00 | 1 | 2.0 | 40.0 |
| 96 | Rice | 1 | 3 | 44 | 14.67 | 0 | 3.0 | 44.0 |
| 97 | South Carolina | 3 | 7 | 134 | 19.14 | 0 | 2.3 | 44.7 |
| 98 | Tulsa | 1 | 3 | 45 | 15.00 | 0 | 3.0 | 45.0 |
| 99 | UCLA | 3 | 6 | 140 | 23.33 | 1 | 2.0 | 46.7 |
| 100 | Ohio | 1 | 2 | 53 | 26.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 53.0 |
| 101 | Troy | 1 | 3 | 96 | 32.00 | 0 | 3.0 | 96.0 |
| 102 | Utah State | 1 | 2 | 121 | 60.50 | 1 | 2.0 | 121.0 |