2025 National Leaders Punt Returns - Games vs. Ranked Teams Only (AP Poll) through 01/19/2026
| Name | Team | Yr | Pos | G | Ret. | Yards | Avg. | TD | Ret./G | Yards/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Hernandez | Wk Forest | JR | WR | 1 | 3 | 124 | 41.33 | 1 | 3.0 | 124.0 |
| 2 | Nathan Acevedo | SDSU | JR | WR | 1 | 2 | 63 | 31.50 | 1 | 2.0 | 63.0 |
| 3 | Ryan Niblett | Texas | SO | WR | 6 | 7 | 146 | 20.86 | 1 | 1.2 | 24.3 |
| 4 | Manny Covey | Cincinnati | SO | RB | 4 | 6 | 114 | 19.00 | 0 | 1.5 | 28.5 |
| 5 | Isaiah Sategna III | Oklahoma | JR | WR | 5 | 7 | 97 | 13.86 | 0 | 1.4 | 19.4 |
| 6 | Vicari Swain | S Carolina | SO | DB | 5 | 6 | 83 | 13.83 | 0 | 1.2 | 16.6 |
| 7 | Zachariah Branch | Georgia | JR | WR | 5 | 6 | 77 | 12.83 | 0 | 1.2 | 15.4 |
| 8 | Caullin Lacy | Louisville | SR | WR | 3 | 7 | 79 | 11.29 | 0 | 2.3 | 26.3 |
| 9 | Malachi Toney | Miami (Fl) | FR | WR | 5 | 11 | 120 | 10.91 | 0 | 2.2 | 24.0 |
| 10 | Javarius Green | N Carolina | FR | WR | 2 | 4 | 43 | 10.75 | 0 | 2.0 | 21.5 |
| 11 | Jaylen Thomas | SJSU | FR | DB | 1 | 2 | 21 | 10.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 21.0 |
| 12 | KC Concepcion | Texas A&M | JR | WR | 3 | 6 | 58 | 9.67 | 0 | 2.0 | 19.3 |
| 13 | Josh Cameron | Baylor | SR | WR | 3 | 7 | 63 | 9.00 | 0 | 2.3 | 21.0 |
| 14 | Jacory Barney, Jr. | Nebraska | SO | WR | 4 | 7 | 57 | 8.14 | 0 | 1.8 | 14.3 |
| 15 | Jacob De Jesus | California | SR | WR | 1 | 3 | 20 | 6.67 | 0 | 3.0 | 20.0 |
| 16 | David Amador II | UTSA | SO | WR | 3 | 4 | 19 | 4.75 | 0 | 1.3 | 6.3 |
| 17 | Peyton Higgins | Troy | SR | WR | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4.00 | 0 | 2.0 | 8.0 |
| 17 | Isaiah Spencer | Va Tech | JR | WR | 3 | 4 | 16 | 4.00 | 0 | 1.3 | 5.3 |
| 19 | Parker Kingston | BYU | JR | WR | 4 | 5 | 19 | 3.80 | 0 | 1.3 | 4.8 |
| 20 | Boo Carter | Tennessee | SO | DB | 3 | 4 | 15 | 3.75 | 0 | 1.3 | 5.0 |
| 21 | Zion Booker | Tulsa | JR | WR | 2 | 3 | 11 | 3.67 | 0 | 1.5 | 5.5 |
| 22 | Sutton Smith | Memphis | JR | RB | 2 | 4 | 14 | 3.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 7.0 |
| 22 | Malcolm Simmons | Auburn | SO | WR | 5 | 8 | 28 | 3.50 | 0 | 1.6 | 5.6 |
| 24 | Eric Willis III | UTEP | SR | WR | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| 25 | Kyler Pearson | ECU | SR | WR | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2.00 | 0 | 1.5 | 3.0 |
Note: To qualify, player must have played in 75% of his team's games and have a minimum of 1.2 punt returns per game played.