Jonathan Ruffin capped a remarkable sophomore season at the University of Cincinnati by winning the 2000 Lou Groza Award. Ruffin led the nation with 26 field goals on 29 attempts, the sixth-highest single-season total in NCAA history. He set a school record by making at least one field goal in every game and he connected on four field goals in a single game twice, against Tulane and UAB. At the completion of his college career, Ruffin’s name was all over the Bearcats’ record book. He currently is first in school history in virtually every kicking and scoring category, including ranking as Cincinnati’s all-time leader in field goals made, with 62, and scoring, with 315 points.

The nation’s leading field goal kicker in 2018 was Andre Szmyt. Connecting on 28 of his 32 attempts, the freshman set a new Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record and finished the year with three more makes than any other kicker in the country. But his season was about so much more than just that one number. The 28 field goals included a perfect 3-for-3 mark on kicks from at least 50 yards. Against Pittsburgh, he connected on a season-long 54 yarder to give the Orange the lead late in the fourth quarter. It was his third field goal of the game, part of a stretch of four straight games in which he made three kicks. In fact, he made multiple field goals in each of the first ten games of the season, culminating in a 4-for-4 performance against Louisville. It’s no surprise then that he also scored double-digit points in each of those first ten games, helping him to a season total of 141 that lead the nation not only in kick-scoring but in scoring by any player regardless of position. While his totals grab the headlines – and don’t forget his perfect 57-for-57 extra point attempts – it hasn’t come at the expense of accuracy. His 87.5 field goal percentage was 2nd in the nation by kickers with more than 20 attempts.