College football’s top kicking award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes three of the top kickers each week from FBS division teams as the “Stars of the Week.”
Michael Lantz went 4-for-4 on both field goals and extra points in Georgia Southern’s 40-3 road win over Ball State. The senior from Peachtree City, Ga. connected from 41, 37, 35, and 26 yards out as part of a 16-point game that tied for the most points by a kicker this week. Three of those field goals came in the second quarter, accounting for all the scoring in that frame. Lantz now sits at 8-for-9 on field goals, tied for seventh in the country.
Trey Smack led all kickers this week with a 5-for-5 performance in Florida’s 22-7 win over Charlotte. The five field goals included a new career-long of 54 yards, tied for the seventh-longest kick in Gators history. He also connected from 36, 27, and twice from 23 yards, becoming the Gators’ first kicker with five field goals since 2017 and just the fourth to ever do it. The sophomore from Severna Park, Md. also converted the extra point on Florida’s only touchdown for a 16-point game that tied for the most by a kicker this week.
Dominic Zvada kicked three crucial field goals in a 44-37 win over Southern Miss for Arkansas State’s first in a conference opener since 2019. The sophomore from Chandler, Ariz. gave the Red Wolves their final lead with a 21-yard kick, joining first-half makes from 36 and 53 yards out. The 53-yarder joins his make from 56 last season to make him just the fourth kicker in program history with multiple field goals from long distance. He converted all five extra point tries for a 14-point game that set a new high in his young career.
The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
