Tashi Dorje has high bar to reach as Aztecs' newest punter
San Diego State's Tashi Dorje is the latest candidate to join the growing list of national-caliber SDSU punters.
The group is headed by Matt Araiza, who earned the 2021 Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter after setting an NCAA single-season record with a 50.19-yard average.
Three straight Ray Guy Award candidates have succeeded Araiza: Jack Browning (46.1 yards per punt in 2022 and 45.4 ypp in 2023), Tyler Pastula (46.1 ypp in 2024) and Hunter Green (47.0 ypp last season).
It's a high bar, one that Dorje, a 6-foot-2 senior from Brentwood in Contra Costa County, aims to reach this season.
"It's a legacy I'm following in," Dorje said after Tuesday morning's practice. "I just want to build my own and leave my mark."
SDSU coach Sean Lewis said Dorje is at the level of the others when he's at his best.
"That's why he's here," Lewis said, "and it's something that he embraces, that he welcomes, because he's got a very high standard for himself.
"I'm excited to see him consistently at his best and continue to improve. … It's the consistency and the ability of, if we do miss one, having the ability to mentally clear it, refocus and respond the way all great champions do."
Dorje made a good impression when he subbed for Green last season, averaging 50 yards per punt. That's an eye-popping number, except for one detail - it was on just three punts. Araiza set the single-season record on 79 attempts.
Let's see what Dorje can do with a larger sample size. He is eager for the opportunity.
"I can't wait," he said. "Obviously, there's a high bar, but I'm hoping I can put my best foot forward, show up every day and put in the work."
Does he feel any pressure?
"I wouldn't necessarily say pressure, and it there is pressure, I put it on myself," Dorje said. "I hold myself to a higher standard. … It's not necessarily about every single one being perfect, but it's about just wiping off (a bad punt) and getting ready for the next rep."
Like many kickers, Dorje has a soccer background, although he wanted to be a wide receiver when he stepped on the football field in high school. A severe ankle injury interrupted that plan.
"That led me to just punting, because that's all I could really do," said Dorje, who began punting his junior year at Liberty High School. "So I really fell in love with it, and it's been an adventure, roller-coaster up and down."
It is Dorje's connection to former SDSU kicker Gabe Plascencia that ultimately led him to SDSU. The pair met during some training camps. Dorje followed Plascencia to College of San Mateo and then to Montezuma Mesa.
"It all lined up well, and I'm so glad I came because this is the place I wanted to be," Dorje said.
SDSU special teams coordinator Zac Barton is happy to have him, saying Dorje "has got all the talent in the world.”
“The biggest thing that makes him different from other kids is that most of them when they know they're the (backup), they don't get any better,” Barton said. “He came to work every day and he practiced so well that we had to play him."
Junior Camden Cowgill was brought in to provide competition at the position, but Dorje has a leg up with his experience and past performance.
"Camden coming in, it gives me a little fire in my belly," Dorje said. "But I want to be the best punter I can be. So I wouldn't really say it's so much about the competition, it's about getting better, more consistent and holding myself to a standard."
The situation with other specialists:
• Sophomore Nick Clegg and senior transfer Cooper DiLeva are the top two candidates to replace Plascencia, who set a high bar as well. Plascencia made a school-record 25 straight field goals and finished as the school's career leader in accuracy (36-for-41, .878). The position remains up for grabs because of inconsistency. For instance, the kickers missed more than half their kicks in one practice last week, then missed only one kick in another practice.
• Several candidates have been auditioning for kick/punt return roles. Senior running back Christian Washington is expected to be the primary kick returner. Punt returns are expected to be handled by transfer running back Javion Kinnard and wide receivers Nate Acevedo and Jordan Napier. Kinnard was an all-conference punt returner at Colorado State. Napier’s role depends on how quickly he returns from reconstructive knee surgery. The Aztecs are expected to use two punt returners a significant amount of the time.
• Senior Luke Williams is expected to be the team’s starting long snapper, with Dorje as the holder on kicks.
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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 6:59 PM.