Punter, Virginia (from UL Monroe, Minnesota), 2020–⁠26

Daniel Sparks

Lettered 2022–⁠24 (school media guide)

Number: No. 38
Height: 6′7″
Weight: 226 lb
Class (2026): Senior
Hometown: Gadsden, AL

Daniel Sparks plays punter for Virginia, after UL Monroe (2020) and Minnesota (2021).

2026 so far

31 punts, 50.3 average

CFD Staff: Daniel Sparks | The college career he never planned

Last game: at SMU, L 13–⁠23

Next game: vs. Duke, Oct 23

Game by game this season, punting yards

Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.

Punting

Punting yards, season by season, with his team’s record

1,337

2,152

2,746

2,543

1,745

1,559

0–⁠103–⁠73–⁠95–⁠711–⁠3AP 164–⁠3*

* The season in progress, so far.

Season	Team	Punts	Yds	Avg	Long	In 20
2020	UL Monroe	30	1,337	44.6	63	5
2022	Virginia	47	2,152	45.8	63	12
2023	Virginia	64	2,746	42.9	70	10
2024	Virginia	57	2,543	44.6	66	14
2025	Virginia	37	1,745	47.2	65	14
2026	Virginia	31	1,559	50.3	73	15
Career		266	12,082	45.4	73	70

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

Season	Team	No.	Pos	Class	Ht	Wt
2020	UL Monroe	38	P	Yr 1
2021	Minnesota	38	P	Yr 2
2022	Virginia	38	P	Yr 3
2023	Virginia	38	P	Yr 4
2024	Virginia	38	P	Yr 5
2025	Virginia	38	P	Yr 6
2026	Virginia	38	P	Sr. (Yr 7)	6′7″	226

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Game by game

2026 Virginia 7 games, 31 punts, 50.3 average

Date	Opponent	Result	Punts	Yds	Long	In 20
Aug 29	vs.NC State	W 34–⁠8	5	227	63	1
Sep 11	vs.Norfolk State	W 59–⁠3	2	108	61	2
Sep 19	vs.West Virginia	L 27–⁠38	6	276	51	4
Sep 26	vs.Delaware	W 42–⁠3	2	76	41	1
Oct 3	atFlorida State	L 7–⁠38	7	397	73	4
Oct 10	vs.Syracuse	W 28–⁠25	6	313	72	3
Oct 17	atSMU	L 13–⁠23	3	162	68	0

2025 Virginia 10 games, 37 punts, 47.2 average

Date	Opponent	Result	Punts	Yds	Long	In 20
Aug 30	vs.Coastal Carolina	W 48–⁠7	2	96	57	1
Sep 6	atNC State	L 31–⁠35	2	88	48	1
Oct 18	vs.Washington State	W 22–⁠20	6	318	65	3
Oct 25	atNorth Carolina	W 17–⁠16	8	391	56	2
Nov 1	atCalifornia	W 31–⁠21	5	214	59	2
Nov 8	vs.Wake Forest	L 9–⁠16	4	197	52	0
Nov 15	atDuke	W 34–⁠17	2	77	43	1
Nov 29	vs.Virginia Tech	W 27–⁠7	4	181	55	2
Dec 6	vs.Duke	L 20–⁠27	2	101	52	0
Dec 27 ✦	vs.Missouri	W 13–⁠7	2	82	48	2

2024 Virginia 12 games, 57 punts, 44.6 average

Date	Opponent	Result	Punts	Yds	Long	In 20
Aug 31	vs.Richmond	W 34–⁠13	2	109	56	1
Sep 7	atWake Forest	W 31–⁠30	5	234	59	2
Sep 14	vs.Maryland	L 13–⁠27	5	228	53	1
Sep 21	atCoastal Carolina	W 43–⁠24	3	140	60	1
Oct 5	vs.Boston College	W 24–⁠14	3	156	62	0
Oct 12	vs.Louisville	L 20–⁠24	5	146	56	2
Oct 19	atClemson	L 31–⁠48	6	272	53	1
Oct 26	vs.North Carolina	L 14–⁠41	4	179	60	0
Nov 9	atPittsburgh	W 24–⁠19	6	258	66	2
Nov 16	atNotre Dame	L 14–⁠35	7	280	51	1
Nov 23	vs.SMU	L 7–⁠33	7	333	57	1
Nov 30	atVirginia Tech	L 17–⁠37	4	208	59	2

2023 Virginia 12 games, 64 punts, 42.9 average

Date	Opponent	Result	Punts	Yds	Long	In 20
Sep 2	vs.Tennessee	L 13–⁠49	9	398	62	3
Sep 9	vs.James Madison	L 35–⁠36	6	281	69	0
Sep 15	atMaryland	L 14–⁠42	4	146	40	2
Sep 22	vs.NC State	L 21–⁠24	5	203	52	1
Sep 30	atBoston College	L 24–⁠27	7	337	70	0
Oct 7	vs.William & Mary	W 27–⁠13	2	37	32	0
Oct 21	atNorth Carolina	W 31–⁠27	5	251	61	2
Oct 28	atMiami	L 26–⁠29	5	220	57	0
Nov 4	vs.Georgia Tech	L 17–⁠45	4	185	62	0
Nov 9	atLouisville	L 24–⁠31	4	152	44	0
Nov 18	vs.Duke	W 30–⁠27	5	218	57	0
Nov 25	vs.Virginia Tech	L 17–⁠55	8	318	51	2

2022 Virginia 10 games, 47 punts, 45.8 average

Date	Opponent	Result	Punts	Yds	Long	In 20
Sep 3	vs.Richmond	W 34–⁠17	3	146	50	1
Sep 10	atIllinois	L 3–⁠24	6	277	56	2
Sep 17	vs.Old Dominion	W 16–⁠14	4	148	40	2
Sep 23	atSyracuse	L 20–⁠22	4	192	59	2
Oct 1	atDuke	L 17–⁠38	3	140	57	1
Oct 8	vs.Louisville	L 17–⁠34	4	177	55	0
Oct 20	atGeorgia Tech	W 16–⁠9	5	215	48	3
Oct 29	vs.Miami	L 12–⁠14	6	261	51	1
Nov 5	vs.North Carolina	L 28–⁠31	4	187	52	0
Nov 12	vs.Pittsburgh	L 7–⁠37	8	409	63	0

2020 UL Monroe 7 games, 30 punts, 44.6 average

Date	Opponent	Result	Punts	Yds	Long	In 20
Oct 3	vs.Georgia Southern	L 30–⁠35	2	81	46	0
Oct 10	atLiberty	L 7–⁠40	7	310	52	0
Oct 24	atSouth Alabama	L 14–⁠38	3	141	52	2
Oct 31	vs.App State	L 13–⁠31	4	199	63	0
Nov 7	atGeorgia State	L 34–⁠52	3	153	63	0
Nov 28	vs.Louisiana	L 20–⁠70	6	251	48	1
Dec 5	atArkansas State	L 15–⁠48	5	202	53	2

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

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