Oldroyd named semifinalist for the Lou Groza National Place-Kicker Award 

PROVO, Utah — The Palm Beach County Sports Commission today released the Top 20 semifinalists for the 2020 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl. Included as a semifinalist is BYU sophomore Jake Oldroyd. 

Appearing in nine of 10 games for the Cougars, Oldroyd has been outstanding. The 6-1, 195-pound kicker from Southlake, Texas, has converted all 11 of his field-goal attempts, including a 54-yarder versus Troy as time expired in the second quarter. He is 2-2 over 50 yards, 4-4 from 40-49, 1-1 from 30-39 and 4-4 from 20-29. 

Oldroyd kicked two field goals in BYU wins over Navy, Troy and Western Kentucky, and has made at least one field goal in eight of the nine games he has played. He has also converted 51 of 53 extra points to rank No. 4 in the nation for the most PAT conversions.

Given the unique nature of the 2020 college football season, the committee considered all FBS kickers who have played in at least six games and attempted a minimum of 10 field goals through Week 14. 

NCAA statistical leaders in virtually every category found their way onto the list, including the only two qualifying kickers in the country still perfect on the season, Oldroyd and Alabama sophomore Will Reichard. 

Among qualified FBS kickers making at least 75-percent of their kicks, eight have connected on at least six field goals from 40 yards or more this season, including Oldroyd (6), Pitt senior Alex Kessman (9), Clemson junior B.T. Potter (8), Miami (FL) senior Jose Borregales (7), Western Kentucky sophomore Brayden Narveson (7), LSU sophomore Cade York (7), Oklahoma sophomore Gabe Brkic (6) and Wake Forest junior Nick Sciba (6).

Semifinalists will be voted on by a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on Dec. 22 and honored at the 29th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Virtual Awards Celebration, streamed live on Jan. 4 on lougrozaaward.com. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, Jan. 7.

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.
 
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 28 finalists, including 16 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 10 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home six Super Bowls. That list includes 2020 NFL kickers Dan Bailey, Rodrigo Blankenship, Randy Bullock, Daniel Carlson, Mason Crosby, Jake Elliott, Ka’imi Fairbairn, Kai Forbath, Graham Gano, Matt Gay, Zane Gonzalez, Dustin Hopkins, Younghoe Koo, and Cairo Santos.

For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, please visit LouGrozaAward.com, or follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter for updates as they happen.  

National College Football Awards Association
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about the association.

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 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, the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches, and the annual Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches.