Ryan Stonehouse

Ryan Matthew Stonehouse (born May 11, 1999) is an American football punter for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado State and signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Stonehouse currently holds the NCAA FBS and Mountain West Conference records for highest career average yards per punt, as well as the NFL single-season record for average yards per punt.

Early life
Stonehouse was born on May 11, 1999, in San Dimas, California to parents Natalie Banks and Paul Stonehouse. His father, Paul, was a punter for Stanford from 1989 to 1992. Two of his uncles were also Division I punters: John Stonehouse (USC, 1992–95) and Jeff Banks (Washington State, 1996–97).

Stonehouse attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. In 2016, he helped his Mater Dei team to a 13–1 record and a deep CIF playoff run, losing in the semi-finals to St. John Bosco. Stonehouse was named a Blue & Grey All-American and was named to the 2016 L.A. Times All-Star football team, among other awards. He also participated in the Kohl's Kicking 2016 Western Winter Showcase and was rated as a five-star punter.

Stonehouse was officially rated as a three-star recruit and the third best punter prospect in the class of 2017 by 247Sports.com.

College career
Stonehouse received 11 total offers from NCAA Division I schools. On February 14, 2017, he accepted a scholarship offer from Colorado State over offers from Arizona, Cal, Cornell, Eastern Washington, Illinois, Tennessee, Toledo, Utah State, UTSA, and Wyoming.

As a freshman in 2017, Stonehouse was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, as well as receiving an All-Mountain West honorable mention. Stonehouse was one of five true freshmen to play in every game; he had 46 punts for 2,111 yards in 13 games and ranked fifth in the country with a 45.9-yard punt average.

As a sophomore in 2018, Stonehouse played in all 12 games and finished second in the FBS with a 48.3-yard punt average. He had 65 punts for 3,140 yards, placing 18 punts within the 20-yard line. Stonehouse was selected to the 2018 All-Mountain West first team, as well as being named to the 2018 Sporting News All-American second team.

As a junior in 2019, Stonehouse was named to the All-Mountain West first team for the second consecutive year after recording 49 punts for 2,274 yards with a 46.4 average.

As a senior in 2020, Stonehouse played in all four games, as the season was heavily condensed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In just four games, he had 26 punts for 1,178 yards with a 45.3-yard punt average and was named to the All-Mountain West first team for the third consecutive year.

As a graduate student in 2021, his final year at CSU, Stonehouse was ranked the best punter and the 34th best overall player in the Mountain West Conference entering the season. He finished the season with 58 punts for 2,953 yards with a career-best single-season punt average of 50.9 yards. Despite this, Stonehouse was named to the 2021 All-Mountain West second team, as San Diego State punter Matt Araiza, who led the FBS and Mountain West with a 51.5-yard punt average, was named to the first team.

During his collegiate career, Stonehouse had 244 punts for 11,656 yards. He broke the NCAA FBS record for the highest career average yards per punt with his 47.8-yard average, which was previously held by Florida punter Johnny Townsend with a 46.2 average. Stonehouse also holds the Mountain West Conference's highest career average yards per punt record, previously held by BYU punter Matt Payne (45.4; 2001–04).

2022 season
Stonehouse signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022. He performed well throughout the preseason and won the punting job when the Titans released longtime punter Brett Kern at the end of the preseason.

During a narrow Week 3 24–22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Stonehouse punted thrice for 181 yards with a long of 70 yards. Two weeks later against the Washington Commanders, he punted eight times for 416 yards in the 21–17 road victory. Stonehouse was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October after recording 20 punts for 1,033 yards and a 51.7 average.

During a Week 10 17–10 victory over the Denver Broncos, Stonehouse punted eight times for 432 yards, including three inside the 10-yard line with a long of 74 yards, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Two weeks later against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had five punts for 269 yards with a long of 71 yards as the Titans lost by a score of 20–16. In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Stonehouse punted seven times for 401 yards as the Titans lost on the road by a score of 35–10.

Stonehouse recorded an average of 53.1 yards per punt throughout his rookie season, which set a new single-season NFL record. The record, previously set in 1940 by Sammy Baugh with a 51.4 average, lasted for 82 years before being broken by Stonehouse. He was also the punting yards leader in 2022, punting 90 times for 4,779 yards.

2023 season
During a Week 3 27–3 road loss to the Cleveland Browns, Stonehouse punted seven times for 374 yards with a long of 74 yards. During a Week 8 28–23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, he had a season-high eight punts for 420 yards. During a Week 12 17–10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Stonehouse punted seven times for 376 yards with a long of 71 yards, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. However, in the next game the Indianapolis Colts, he suffered a serious leg injury after a second blocked punt and was later announced to be out for the rest of the season. The injury was later revealed to be a torn ACL, MCL, and a broken bone, all in his non-kicking leg.

Stonehouse finished his second professional season with 53 punts for 2,812 yards and a 53.1 average, tying the NFL record that he set the previous season.

Personal life
Stonehouse enjoys DIY projects. In his spare time, Stonehouse has built various projects, including a covered outdoor kitchen in his backyard. Stonehouse also enjoys fostering and working with shelter dogs.