Lou Groza Awards Banquet
December 7, 2026
West Palm Beach Marriott
6:00 PM Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction
7:00 PM Dinner and Awards Program
7:45 PM Silent Auction Closes
Emcee Theo Dorsey, ESPN West Palm
The Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award hosts its highly anticipated annual banquet each year in Palm Beach County. The event brings together the best of college and high school football for an unforgettable night of recognition. Each year, the event celebrates the three collegiate finalists for the prestigious Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, honoring their consistency, accuracy, and impact on the national stage.
But the evening also shines a powerful spotlight on Palm Beach County’s own rising talent. The banquet proudly recognizes the High School Place-Kicker of the Year, as well as the High School Coach of the Year, High School Player of the Year and High School Team of the Year, highlighting the exceptional dedication, leadership, and performance found within our local football community.
This annual tradition not only honors outstanding kickers and coaches but also reinforces Palm Beach County’s role as the home of one of college football’s most respected awards and a hub for developing future stars.
Birr, a junior from Kennedale, Texas, is tied for second in FBS with 22 field goals, but it’s the time and context of those makes that has defined his season. Out of Georgia Tech’s 9 wins, three required clutch kicks from Birr: a school-record 55-yarder as time expired to top Clemson 24-21, a 33-yarder with two seconds left to force overtime against Wake Forest, and a 23-yard game-winner to beat Boston College 36-34. His 108 points are second among all FBS kickers and the most in the ACC at any position.
Matsuzawa, a senior from Tokyo, Japan, has a chance to complete the most prolific perfect kicking season in FBS history. Not only do his 23 field goals lead all kickers in the nation, he’s needed exactly 23 attempts. At 23-for-23, he would top 2012 Groza winner Cairo Santos’ 21-for-21 season for the most field goals ever without a miss. No other kicker with even 15 attempts remains perfect this year. He’s gone 3-for-3 in five games, including the opener capped with a 38-yard game-winner as time expired.
Sandell, a junior from Port Neches, Texas, is on the verge of perhaps the greatest long-distance kicking season in FBS history. At a combined 15-for-16 from 40 yards or longer, he’s just one make away from tying the FBS record for field goals from at least 40 yards and could do it in 7 fewer attempts. His 7-for-7 mark from 50 yards includes four makes from 55-plus, one of only two FBS kickers in the last 30 years with such distance. At 22-for-23 overall, he’s tied for 2nd in field goals and sits 4th in percentage.
Keynote Speaker coming soon!
