Top 3 Collegiate Place-Kickers

  • Winner: 1997
  • Finalist: 1998, 1997
Place Kicker
Height & Weight

Kansas State Wildcats

Martin Gramatica capped a phenomenal 1997 season that saw him make 19 of 20 field goal attempts by winning the Lou Groza Award. Gramatica set several Kansas State records that year, including most field goals in a season, and became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 214 points. He also became the only kicker in K-State history to make two 50-yard field goals in a single game; one from 55 yards tied the Big 12 record for longest field goal. Gramatica was a finalist for the Groza Award again in 1998, but lost to Sebastian Janikowski. After his senior year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Gramatica in the third round of the NFL Draft.

There are no stats available for this player.

  • Finalist: 1998
Place Kicker

Oregon Ducks

This player has no bio.

There are no stats available for this player.

Sebastian Janikowski
  • Winner: 1999, 1998
  • Finalist: 1999, 1998
Place Kicker
Hometown

Daytona Beach, FL

Height & Weight
Class

--

Florida State Seminoles Logo

Florida State Seminoles

Sebastian Janikowski became the first two-time winner of the Lou Groza Award in 1999. Janikowski was successful on 23 of 30 field goal attempts and was perfect on 47 extra points tries, leading his Florida State Seminoles to the National Championship. He booted five field goals in a game against North Carolina State and hit the game-winner against Clemson in a 17-14 victory. After the season, Janikowski decided to forego his senior year of eligibility and entered the NFL Draft, where the Oakland Raiders took him with the 17th pick of the first round of the 2000 Draft. He ended his career in Tallahassee as the third-leading scorer in FSU history with 324 points.

Past Finalists

Alex Raynor
  • Finalist: 2024
  • Semi-finalist: 2024
  • Stars of the Week: 2024 Season, Week 3
  • Watchlist: 2023
Place Kicker
Hometown

Kennesaw, GA

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

Kentucky Wildcats Logo

Kentucky Wildcats

This player has no bio.
Kenneth Almendares
  • Finalist: 2024
  • Semi-finalist: 2024
  • Watchlist: 2023
Place Kicker
Hometown

Clute, TX

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Logo

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

This player has no bio.
Ryan Fitzgerald
  • Finalist: 2024
  • Semi-finalist: 2024, 2023
  • Watchlist: 2024
Place Kicker
Hometown

Coolidge, GA

Height & Weight
Class

Junior

Florida State Seminoles Logo

Florida State Seminoles

This player has no bio.
Graham Nicholson
  • Winner: 2023
  • Finalist: 2023
  • Semi-finalist: 2023
  • Stars of the Week: 2023 Season, Week 12
Place Kicker
Hometown

Cincinnati, OH

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

Alabama Crimson Tide Logo

Alabama Crimson Tide

Nicholson finished the season 26-for-27 on field goals, with his only miss coming late in Miami’s MAC Championship Game victory over Toledo. With a 23-for-23 regular season, Nicholson set a new FBS record for the most field goals in a perfect regular season, topping 2012 Lou Groza Award winner Cairo Santos’ mark of 21. Add two more to start the MAC Championship Game and he made 25 consecutive field goals, matching the all-time FBS record for the longest streak in one season. Overall, his 26 field goals tied for the second-most in FBS while his 96.3% accuracy was the highest by any kicker with even 15 attempts on the year. He also set the bar for consistency by making field goals in every game of the season. Of the eight FBS kickers who made at least 23 field goals, he’s the only one who can make that claim. He kicked multiple field goals in nine games, including a trio of 3-for-3 performances. In two of those, he outscored the RedHawks’ opponent on his own, totaling 11 points in both a 23-3 win over Kent State and a 23-10 victory over Buffalo.

Jose Pizano
  • Finalist: 2023
  • Semi-finalist: 2023
  • Stars of the Week: 2023 Season, Week 8, 2023 Season, Week 3
Place Kicker
Hometown

Lehi, UT

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

UNLV Rebels Logo

UNLV Rebels

Pizano, a senior from Lehi, Utah, brought award-winning credentials with him from FCS Missouri State and instantly became one of the top kickers at the FBS level, setting virtually every single-season record at UNLV. His 23 field goals are the most ever by a Rebel and included a run of 19 straight to set a new program mark as well. He kicked two game-winners, one as part of a 4-FG game against Vanderbilt and the other his record-setting 6th field goal of the game against Colorado State.

Will Reichard
  • Finalist: 2023, 2020
  • Semi-finalist: 2023, 2022, ...
  • Stars of the Week: 2023 Season, Week 5, 2022 Season, Week 11, ...
  • Watchlist: 2023
Place Kicker
Hometown

Hoover, AL

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

Alabama Crimson Tide Logo

Alabama Crimson Tide

Reichard, a graduate student from Hoover, Alabama, caps one of the great collegiate careers of all time by becoming just the 12th kicker in history to be voted a Groza finalist more than once. He has amassed 530 points in his career, tied for the most by any player in FBS history. This season, his 3-for-3 mark on kicks from at least 50 yards gives him the most by any kicker who didn’t miss from long distance, perhaps not surprising given his 8 career makes from 50+ are the most in Alabama history.

Christopher Dunn
  • Winner: 2022
  • Finalist: 2022
  • Semi-finalist: 2022, 2019
  • Stars of the Week: 2022 Season, Week 6, 2022 Season, Week 10
Place Kicker
Hometown

Lexington, NC

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

NC State Wolfpack Logo

NC State Wolfpack

Christopher Dunn capped a record-setting career with his finest single season, going 24-for-25 on field goals. Both the total field goals and the 96% hit rate rank second in FBS this season, while his accuracy mark is the best by any kicker with at least 20 attempts. Dunn was perfect over his first 22 attempts, going all the way into the regular season’s final game without a miss, drawing comparisons to 1996 Groza Award winner Marc Primanti’s perfect season. He made multiple field goals in eight games this year, most notably in the Wolfpack’s 19-17 win over Florida State. In that game, he went 4-for-4 on field goals, scoring the last 9 points of the game to turn a four-point deficit into a two-point win. That game also featured his longest field goal of the season, a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Long field goals were one of his hallmarks this year, tied for second in the country with 17 field goals from at least 30 yards out and one of just four FBS kickers with at least 10 kicks from 40 yards or more. The fifth-year starter entered the year already NC State’s program leader in field goals and points, but this year’s performance put him over the top in the ACC record books and among the top performers in FBS history. His 93 career field goals are second all-time only to 2016 Groza winner Zane Gonzalez, while his 479 career points are the fourth-most by any FBS kicker ever.

Joshua Karty
  • Finalist: 2022
  • Semi-finalist: 2023, 2022
  • Stars of the Week: 2023 Season, Week 12, 2023 Season, Week 1, ...
  • Watchlist: 2023
Place Kicker
Hometown

Burlington, NC

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

Stanford Cardinal Logo

Stanford Cardinal

Karty, a junior from Burlington, North Carolina, became just the fourth kicker in FBS history to stay perfect on field goals through a full season, going 18-for-18 for the first season without a miss since 2013. He didn’t play it safe to get there, leading the country with 13 field goals from at least 40 yards out. Three of those came from over 50, including a 61-yard blast that set a new Cardinal record. It was the longest kick in FBS by five yards and the third-longest FG in the last 10 seasons. He went 5-for-5 on field goals against Arizona State, scoring every point in a 15-14 come-from-behind win.

Gabe Brkic
  • Finalist: 2021
  • Semi-finalist: 2021, 2020, ...
Place Kicker
Hometown

Chardon, OH

Height & Weight
Class

Junior

Oklahoma Sooners Logo

Oklahoma Sooners

Brkic, a junior from Chardon, Ohio, leads the nation in long‐distance field goals, connecting five times from at least 50 yards out. He got off to a quick start, with three of them in the season opener, tying the all‐time FBS record for 50+ FGs in a single game. He connected from 56 yards in each of the first two games of the year, marking the longest Sooner field goals in over 40 years. In addition to his 17‐for‐23 FG campaign, he is perfect on 48 PATs, extending his career‐long streak to 150‐for‐150.

Jake Moody
  • Winner: 2021
  • Finalist: 2022, 2021
  • Semi-finalist: 2022, 2021
  • Stars of the Week: 2022 Season, Week 9, 2022 Season, Week 7, ...
Place Kicker
Hometown

Northville, MI

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

Michigan Wolverines Logo

Michigan Wolverines

Jake Moody, a senior from Northville, Michigan, was the only FBS kicker to make more than 20 field goals at a rate of 90% or better without missing an extra point during the 2021 season. At 22-for-24 on the season, his 91.7% accuracy was second-best among kickers with 20 field goals, and stands as by far the most accurate in Michigan history on at least 20 attempts. He kicked multiple field goals in Michigan’s first six conference games, making more kicks in that short stretch than all but 22 kickers made all season. He made multiple field goals seven times this season, including a pair of 4-for-4 performances. He finished the regular season with 122 points, tied for third in the nation. His 122-point season ranked second in program history and is the best ever by a Michigan kicker.

Noah Ruggles
  • Finalist: 2021
  • Semi-finalist: 2021
Place Kicker
Hometown

Odessa, FL

Height & Weight
Class

Senior

Ohio State Buckeyes Logo

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ruggles, a senior from Odessa, Florida, is the nation’s top scoring kicker with 113 points. His bid for a perfect season came to an end this weekend, snapping what had been the nation’s longest consecutive field goal streak at 18 straight, going back to his previous season. Despite this late miss, his totals of 16‐for‐17 on field goals and 65‐for‐65 on PATs give him a combined accuracy rate of 98.78% on all kicks this season, the best by an FBS kicker with double‐digit field goal tries.

Jake Oldroyd
  • Finalist: 2020
  • Semi-finalist: 2020
Place Kicker
Hometown

Southlake, TX

Height & Weight
Class

Junior

BYU Cougars Logo

BYU Cougars

Oldroyd, a sophomore from Southlake, Texas, finished the year a perfect 13-for-13 on field goals, the most by an FBS kicker without a miss this season. More than half of those kicks came from at least 40 yards out, including three from over 50. That gives him more 50-yard FGs in a perfect season than any FBS kicker since at least 2004. He made the first 73 extra point attempts of his career, setting the all-time BYU record for consecutive PATs, before a blocked attempt broke his streak.

2023 Top 20 Collegiate Place-Kickers

Winners

The Elite Club of Collegiate Place-Kickers

Selection Process

How is the winner selected?

  • Winner: 1997
  • Finalist: 1998, 1997
Place Kicker
Height & Weight

Kansas State Wildcats

Martin Gramatica capped a phenomenal 1997 season that saw him make 19 of 20 field goal attempts by winning the Lou Groza Award. Gramatica set several Kansas State records that year, including most field goals in a season, and became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 214 points. He also became the only kicker in K-State history to make two 50-yard field goals in a single game; one from 55 yards tied the Big 12 record for longest field goal. Gramatica was a finalist for the Groza Award again in 1998, but lost to Sebastian Janikowski. After his senior year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Gramatica in the third round of the NFL Draft.

There are no stats available for this player.

  • Finalist: 1998
Place Kicker

Oregon Ducks

This player has no bio.

There are no stats available for this player.

Sebastian Janikowski
  • Winner: 1999, 1998
  • Finalist: 1999, 1998
Place Kicker
Hometown

Daytona Beach, FL

Height & Weight
Class

--

Florida State Seminoles Logo

Florida State Seminoles

Sebastian Janikowski became the first two-time winner of the Lou Groza Award in 1999. Janikowski was successful on 23 of 30 field goal attempts and was perfect on 47 extra points tries, leading his Florida State Seminoles to the National Championship. He booted five field goals in a game against North Carolina State and hit the game-winner against Clemson in a 17-14 victory. After the season, Janikowski decided to forego his senior year of eligibility and entered the NFL Draft, where the Oakland Raiders took him with the 17th pick of the first round of the 2000 Draft. He ended his career in Tallahassee as the third-leading scorer in FSU history with 324 points.

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