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.”
Malik Orsan made all four of his first collegiate attempts, including a pair from long range, in South Carolina’s 41-34 loss to Mississippi State. The sophomore from St. Louis, Missouri connected from 30 and 34 yards in the first quarter before moving out to hit from 51 and then 52 yards. It’s the first time a South Carolina kicker made two long-distance kicks in a game since 2022 and in just one game makes him only the eighth kicker in program history with multiple kicks from 50-plus in their entire career.
It’s a second straight “Star of the Week” honor for Nolan Hauser, who followed up his 5-for-5 performance by going 3-for-3 in Clemson’s 28-20 comeback win over North Carolina. Throw in a make on his only attempt in the opener and the junior from Cornelius, North Carolina leads all FBS kickers with nine field goals. The nine straight makes are tied for the second-most to start a season without a miss at Clemson in the last two decades. He connected from 49, 22, and 21 yards out to account for all of the Tigers’ scoring through the first 40 minutes of the game, keeping things close enough for their late-game comeback.
Manaki Watanabe is the first kicker in Fresno State history with multiple long-distance field goals in the same game, accounting for half of his four field goals in the Bulldogs’ 26-10 win over San Jose State. The sophomore from Novi, Michigan followed up an early miss with makes from 52 and 51 yards to give his team a 6-3 halftime lead. He then added kicks from 44 and 40 yards in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. With a 51-yarder last week, Watanabe is now 3-for-3 from over 50 this season, the first FBS kicker with three long-distance field goals.
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.
For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the “Stars of the Week” throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow @LouGrozaAward on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
National College Football Awards Association
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored nearly 1,000 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA and Instagram @TheNCFAA.
About the Palm Beach County Sports Commission
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the County as a sports and sports tourism destination. The Commission brings sporting events and activities to the County, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (primarily in the off-season), and maximizes utilization of County facilities. The Commission offers a full range of event service support, corporate partnerships, sponsorships, and a local membership program that supports its goals. Local, regional, national, and international marketing efforts are ongoing by the Commission with sports organizations and event owners. The Commission also produces sports-related programs for the residents of Palm Beach County including the annual Lou Groza Award program, the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, and the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, go to www.palmbeachsports.com.