After being a semifinalist his freshman and sophomore seasons, Seth Marler finally broke through as a junior and won the Lou Groza Award. Marler made 15 of the 16 field goal attempts he made (the only miss was blocked) and connected on 39 of 40 extra points. He went three for three on kicks longer than 50 yards, including a 53-yarder against East Carolina that was the second-longest field goal in Green Wave history. Marler’s field goal percentage of 93.8% shattered the previous school mark by more than 10 percent. Marler finished his career at Tulane in 2002 as the most prolific kicker ever to wear a Green Wave jersey, making 66 field goals during his four years in New Orleans.

Matt Gay was the nation’s leading field goal kicker in the 2017 season. Connecting on 27 of his 31 attempts, the junior set a new Utah single-season record and finished the year with three more makes than any other kicker in the country. But his season was about much more than just that one number. The 27 makes included five field goals from at least 50 yards out, tied for the most in the nation. Those long distance kicks included not one but two connections from 56 yards out, tied for the longest field goals by regular FBS kickers that year. Against San Jose State, he connected from 56 and 50 in the same game, along with two more field goals and six PATs for an 18-point performance. His other 4-for-4 field goal game was even more important, as he provided nearly all the scoring against rival BYU in a 19-13 Holy War victory. In all, he made multiple field goals in nine games, racking up seven games with double-digit points. His 118 points are the third-most by a kicker in the 2017 season, and he’s the only kicker in the top fifteen with fewer than 40 extra point attempts.