Hawaii Punter Scott Harding ends his fantastic career at UH with one more accolade, by being selected Second Team All-America punter by the Football Writers Association of America. This is the second All-America honor of Harding's career, landing on the FWAA's Freshman All-America team in 2011.
After six seasons in the Australian Football League, Harding began his career as a punt/kick returner and slot receiver, before eventually taking the starting spot as Punter for 2013. He finished with 157 career punts for over 6,000 yards, good for an average of 40.3 yards per punt. Of those 157, 54 were downed inside the 20-yard line, and 34 of those came this past season. His unique rugby-style punts continued to cause struggles for return men throughout his career, causing eight turnovers the past two seasons from the ball deflecting off a defender.
Harding was named the team's Most Valuable Player for the second straight season, along with a spot on the All-Mountain West First Team as a punter, and honorable mention as a punt returner. He was also a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's best punter, and a finalist for the Polynesian Hall of Fame College Football Player of the Year.
While he made the majority of his impact as a Punter, Harding made a significant impact as a Punt Returner as well, with 88 returns for 831 yards and a score during his four year career. He pulled in a single-game school record seven returns (for 76 yards) in a win vs. Northern Iowa, earning him the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
As a receiver, Harding finished his UH career with 116 catches for 1,476 yards and six touchdowns.