Michael Reeder became the first sophomore to win the Lou Groza Award after a 1995 season that saw him kick 23 field goals, a Texas Christian record, as well as 20 extra points. Reeder further entrenched himself in the long annuals of TCU football by making a school record 13 consecutive field goals. He did not miss a field goal inside of 39 yards, and was often called the Horned Frogs’ security blanket. For his efforts, Reeder was named a consensus All-American. Reflecting on his magical 1995 season, Reeder said, “It means that for at least one year, I was the best college kicker in the country. The countless hours of practice paid off.”

Roberto Aguayo proved more than capable of carrying on the lineage of great kickers at Florida State. During his freshman year Aguayo made the first 70 kicks in his career, setting the Seminoles’ all-time record for consecutive makes. While his only missed field goal of the year broke that streak, he had made all 84 of his extra point attempts, setting the FBS record for most consecutive PATs in one season. Combined with his 18 field goals, that gave him 138 points on the season, the most by any kicker in the nation and the third-most by any player at any position.

In the 1996 North Carolina State Media Guide, Marc Primanti was quoted as saying, “My job is to make every kick, and I want to do just that.” Primanti did exactly that, making all 20 field goals and 24 extra points that he attempted. This resulted in Primanti being a rather easy choice to receive the Lou Groza Award. Primanti made nine field goals longer than 40 yards, including a 48-yarder against Alabama that was a season-long. He also set an ACC record by making 27 consecutive field goals, stretching back to 1995. After walking onto the Wolfpack team and not playing a down during his first three years in the program, he more than made up for lost time.