The national panel of college football experts assembled by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission has selected the three finalists for the 32nd Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. Louisiana’s Kenneth Almendares, Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald, and Kentucky’s Alex Raynor will vie for this year’s award.
Kennesaw, GA
Senior
Kentucky Wildcats
Clute, TX
Senior
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Coolidge, GA
Junior
Florida State Seminoles
Cincinnati, OH
Senior
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.
Lehi, UT
Senior
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.
Hoover, AL
Senior
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.
Lexington, NC
Senior
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.
Burlington, NC
Senior
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.
Chardon, OH
Junior
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.
Northville, MI
Senior
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.
Odessa, FL
Senior
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.
Southlake, TX
Junior
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.
Miami, FL
Senior
Miami Hurricanes
Jose Borregales, a senior from Miami, Florida, transferred to the Hurricanes ahead of the 2020 season and gave them one of the best years in program history. At 18-for-20 on field goals, his 90.0% accuracy rate was tied for the best in the nation among kickers with at least 20 attempts. His 8 field goals from at least 40 yards out were tied for 4th in the country and includes a 57-yard bomb that came as part of a 4-for-4 FG, 17-point performance on the road against Louisville. Combined with his totals at FIU, Borregales was third in the nation among active kickers with 68 career field goals.
Plano, TX
Junior
Washington State Cougars
Mazza, a sophomore from Plano, Texas, had made all 18 of his field goal attempts until a miss this past week snapped the longest consecutive field goal streak in Washington State history. Still, at 18-for-19, his 94.7% accuracy rate is easily the best by any FBS kicker with multiple field goals from over 50 yards. It also will almost certainly finish as the most accurate season in school history. He has made multiple field goals in seven games this year and converted at least 5 PATs in five games, helping to a season scoring total of 105, tied for 2nd in the country
Weddington, NC
Senior
Iowa Hawkeyes
Duncan, a junior from Weddington, North Carolina, leads the nation with 27 made field goals, four more than the next closest kicker and a new Big Ten single-season record. A full dozen of those kicks have come from at least 40 yards out, the most in the nation. Not only has he made a field goal in each game this season, he’s made 4 field goals in a game on three different occasions, each vital to close Iowa wins. With one more of those 4-FG performances, he would tie the all-time FBS record for field goals in a single season.
The national panel of college football experts assembled by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission has selected the three finalists for the 32nd Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. Louisiana’s Kenneth Almendares, Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald, and Kentucky’s Alex Raynor will vie for this year’s award.
Kennesaw, GA
Senior
Kentucky Wildcats
Clute, TX
Senior
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Coolidge, GA
Junior
Florida State Seminoles