AWARDS & HONORS
2026 – Preseason All-ACC Team ... Phil Steele Second Team Preseason All-ACC ... Athlon Sports Second Team Preseason All-ACC. 2025 – Phil Steele Third Team All-ACC ... Second Team All-ACC ... Associated Press Second Team All-ACC ... Ray Guy Award’s Ray’s 8 (10/20) ... Ray Guy Award’s Ray’s 8 (10/20) … No. 90 on The Athletic’s Freaks List … East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 preseason watchlist … Athlon Sports Preseason Third Team All-ACC. 2024 – All-ACC Honorable Mention … Phil Steele Second Team All-ACC … Ray Guy Award Preseason Watchlist … Shrine Bowl 1,000 preseason watchlist. 2023 – Named to the ACC All-Academic Team … Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete… One of 50 punters on the Ray Guy Award preseason watch list … Preseason All-ACC selection … Named to the Athlon Sports Preseason All-ACC First Team Specialists. 2022 – Second Team All-ACC (ninth Cavalier punter ever to earn All-ACC accolade) … Associated Press Second Team All-ACC … Phil Steele Fourth Team All-ACC… ACC co-Specialist of the Week (Nov. 15) … First Team VaSID All-State … Ray Guy Award Watch List … named UVA’s Specialist of the Year at program’s annual awards banquet … All-ACC Academic Team.
AT VIRGINIA
2025 – Appeared in all possible 14 games as UVA's primary punter and special teams holder ... Set the program's single-season record with an average of 47.2 yards per punt ... For the second time of the year, averaged at least 50 yards per punt after booting two kicks for 101 yards against Duke (12/6) in the ACC Championship game ... Averaged a program-record 53.0 yards per punt in UVA’s 22-20 comeback win over Washington State (10/18) … Five of his six punts were of at least 50 yards, including a 65-yarder in the second quarter … His performance against the Cougars earned him the Ray Guy Award’s Ray’s 8 weekly recognition (10/20). 2024 – Voted one of five team captains at the conclusion of the season for the second consecutive year … Appeared in all 12 possible games as UVA’s primary punter and kickoff specialist … Finished with a career-high 14 punts downed inside the 20-yard line … Recorded a season-high 333 total yards punting and tied his season high of seven punts against No. 13 SMU (11/23) … Credited with a 66-yard punt, his longest punt of the season, in 24-19 win at No. 23 Pittsburgh (11/9) … Eclipsed the 11 career 60-yard punts by Russ Henderson (1975-78) for the most ever by a Cavalier against North Carolina (10/26) … Recorded a 62-yard punt in 24-14 win over Boston College (10/5) … Credited with a 60-yard punt in 43-24 win at Coastal Carolina (9/21). 2023 – Averaged 42.9 yards per punt in all 12 possible appearances … Voted one of five team captains at the conclusion of the season … Averaged 50.2 yards on five punts in UVA’s win at North Carolina … Recorded a career-long 70-yard punt at Boston College … Punted a career-high nine times and accumulated 398 yards and also matched a career high with three punts downed inside the 20-yard line against Tennessee. 2022 – One of five team captains voted on by the players at the end of the season … Appeared in all 10 games … matched the UVA single-season punting average record, led the ACC and finished eighth in the country with a 45.9 yards per kick … Punted eight times for 409 yards against Pitt (Nov. 12) including a season-long, 63-yarder … Had three 60+ yard punts in the contest, the first UVA punter ever with three 60-yarders in a game.
PRIOR TO VIRGINIA
AT MINNESOTA (2021)
2021 – Transferred to the University of Minnesota in January of 2021 as a sophomore and did not see game action during the 2021 season.
AT LOUISIANA-MONROE (2020)
2020 – Played in all ten games at the University of Louisiana-Monroe as a freshman … Punted 30 times and averaged 44.6 yards per punt, landing five inside the 20-yard line … average was second-best in the Sun Belt Conference … Kicked off 33 times, averaged 55.3 yards on kickoffs and recorded six touchbacks.
HIGH SCHOOL
Graduate of Gadsden City High School in Gadsden, Alabama … Went 6-of-8 on field goals and 19-of-20 on extra points … Had a 46-yard average on punts and 12 touchbacks on kickoffs in 2019 as a senior … Chosen as AJSTS 2019 Special Teams Player of the Year … Member of the 2019 All-Messenger football team at punter … Was also a standout soccer player, making the All-Etowah County team after finishing the shortened 2020 season as the team leader in goals scored … Coached by Ali Smith.
PERSONAL
Son of Dan and Kim Sparks … Has two siblings (Kathryn and Matthew) … Father, Dan, played college soccer at Lee University … Majoring in Biology.