Derek Epperson Class: Junior Hometown: Southlake, Texas High School: Keller Height / Weight: 6-3 / 235 Position: P Experience: 2L

All-America candidate
Ray Guy Award candidate

Third-year junior, returning All-Big 12 punter... Preseason All-American (Lindy's and Yahoo! Sports/Rivals.com first-team, Sporting News/Walter Camp second-team)... Consensus preseason first-team All-Big 12... Ninth all-time at Baylor with 24 career punts of 50-plus yards... Tied for sixth in Baylor history with five career punts of 60-plus yards... 26 career punts inside the 20-yard line... Three-time member of Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

2008 (Sophomore): Starting punter in all 12 games as sophomore... 2008 Ray Guy Award semifinalist... Earned several All-Big 12 honors: second-team selection by Kansas City Star and Waco Tribune-Herald, third-team pick by Phil Steele and honorable mention by league coaches and the Associated Press... First-team 2008 Academic All-Big 12 honoree... Fall 2008 and spring 2009 Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection... Averaged 44.27 yards on 49 punts in 2008 (2,169 total yards)... Totaled 16 punts of 50-plus yards and placed 14 inside the opponents' 20-yard line... Ranked ninth nationally and second in Big 12 in punting average... 44.27 average ranked seventh all-time on BU's single-season list... Sixteen punts of 50-plus yards was 10th-best single-season total in school history... Added three punts of 60-plus yards (tied for seventh-best total at Baylor)... Had three punts of 50-plus yards and averaged 47.2-yards at Oklahoma State... Matched career high with three punts of 50-plus yards at Nebraska, including career-long 65-yarder... Averaged career-best 49.7 on three punts vs. No. 14 Missouri, including two 50-plus kicks and two inside the 20.

2007 (True Freshman): As true freshman, ranked No. 9 in Big 12 and No. 86 nationally with 39.1-yard average on 66 punts en route to honorable mention freshman All-America honors from Sporting News and All-Big 12 freshman honors from same publication... Also had 12 boots inside 20-yardline, 17 fair caught and three touchbacks... Recorded eight punts of 50-plus yards on year with then-career-long 63-yarder vs. Texas Tech... Averaged 40.0 yards or better in five games as rookie, including 40.8-yard mark against Oklahoma State in season finale... Over final four games averaged 40.6 yards per punt (38.1 average in first eight games)... On career-high tying eight punts vs. Texas Tech averaged 42.2 yards per kick... Averaged 40.3 yards on seven kicks at Kansas State... Placed two of five punts inside the 20 vs. No. 19 Texas and averaged 37.6 yards per punt (net 37.4 ypp)... Averaged 40.3 yards on career-high eight punts at Texas A&M with career-best three inside the 20 and long of 53... Averaged then-career-best 46.5 yards on four boots vs. Texas State with one inside the 20 and long of 52... Fall Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection... Saw action on 70 snaps as rookie to earn first Baylor letter.

High School: Keller High School, Keller, Texas... Rated 82nd on The Dallas Morning News Area Top 100 list... Averaged 43 yards per boot as senior en route to first-team District 5-5A honors... Had eight punts inside the 20 as senior for Indians... 5A academic all-state elite selection... Also Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Area Top 50 recruit... Placed third in kickoff completion at 2006 Randy Rogers' Lone Star Kicking Challenge... As junior, averaged 42 yards per punt with hang time of 4.3-4.5 seconds... Also handled kickoff chores for Indians... National Honor Society member ranked 15th in 650-person senior class... Listed in Who's Who Among America's High School Students... Coached by Kevin Atkinson at District 5-5A school.

Personal: Son of Jeff and Laura Epperson, Derek Andrew Epperson was born April 28, 1989, in Houston, Texas... Would like to become orthopedic doctor after punting in NFL... Majoring in business.