The Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced today that kicker Nolan Hauser has been named as one of 35 candidates on the watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented annually to the nation's most outstanding kicker. Additional information from the Palm Beach County Sports Commission is included below.
Visit the 2026 Preseason Honors hub for more preseason accolades garnered by Clemson.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Looking to become just the second repeat winner in history, Oklahoma senior Tate Sandell headlines a special 35-player Watch List in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, as announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Sandell became just the second kicker in FBS history to make 8 field goals from over 50 yards last season. If he defends his title, he would join former Florida State kicker Sebastian Janikowski (1998 & 1999) as the only players to win multiple Groza Awards. Sandell is joined on the Watch List by one of the finalists he beat out, Georgia Tech senior Aidan Birr, as well as 13 other past semifinalists.
Everyone ended last year chasing Ole Miss senior Lucas Carneiro who finished with an FBS record-tying 31 field goals. Carneiro is joined on the Watch List by the 5 returning FBS kickers who followed him for the most makes: Birr (25), Florida sophomore Patrick Durkin (25), Virginia graduate Will Bettridge (24), Sandell (24), and Texas Tech senior Stone Harrington (22).
Even as field goal totals keep growing, the accuracy of kickers has arguably never been greater. An unbelievable 17 kickers return to FBS having attempted at least 15 field goals last season and making better than 85% of them, and all found their way onto the Watch List: Penn State junior Ryan Barker (94.7), Indiana junior Nico Radicic (94.7), Boston College senior Luca Lombardo (94.1), Washington junior Tyler Robles (91.3), Miami senior Jack Olsen (90.5), Georgia senior Peyton Woodring (89.5), Durkin (89.3), Sandell (88.9), Carneiro (88.6), Notre Dame junior Spencer Porath (88.2), Maryland sophomore Sean O’Haire (87.5), Michigan sophomore Trey Butkowski (87.0), Auburn senior Alex McPherson (87.0), Texas A&M graduate David Olano (87.0), Kansas State junior Luis Rodriguez (86.7), Northwestern senior Jackson Kleather (86.4) and Birr (86.2).
While the Watch List typically is limited to evaluating the best kickers returning to FBS, with the increased movement of players between teams this year’s group includes three remarkable kickers joining football’s top division after excelling at lower levels: Middle Tennessee senior Dominic Bourgeois (from D-III Susquehanna), Iowa junior Eli Ozick (from then-FCS North Dakota State), and Fresno State sophomore Manaki Watanabe (from D-II Ashland), along with Florida State senior Gabe Panikowski who in 2024 at FCS Idaho State won the Fred Mitchell Award for the top non-FBS kicker.
While the Watch List highlights 35 of the best returning kickers in the country, the Groza Committee will in fact be watching all FBS kickers throughout the season, as all FBS kickers remain eligible to be selected as semifinalists. The Committee also releases its “Stars of the Week” feature throughout the season on www.lougrozaaward.com.
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Tuesday, November 17th. From this list, a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award, announced on Tuesday, November 24th. That same group then selects the national winner, who will be announced on Thursday, December 10th during the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
The 35th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes the three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a banquet gala on December 7th in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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/Twitter.
2026 Lou Groza Award Watch List
Ryan Barker – Penn State
Class: Junior – Hometown: Landenberg, Pennsylvania
Barker set Penn State’s single-season accuracy mark last season, making 18 of 19 attempts with his only miss coming from 53 yards. That record-setting performance has him currently sitting atop the record book as the school’s most accurate career kicker with an 89.2% mark after two full seasons.
Will Bettridge – Virginia
Class: Graduate - Hometown: Miami, Florida
Bettridge’s 24 field goals set a new single-season record at Virginia and give him 67 for his career, the most by any active FBS kicker. His 121 points also set a Cavaliers single-season mark for kick-scoring, and he needs just 16 more to become Virginia’s all-time leading scorer.
Aidan Birr – Georgia Tech
Class: Senior - Hometown: Kennedale, Texas
A Finalist for the 2025 Groza Award, Birr set new Georgia Tech marks for both field goals and scoring, but more important than “how many” was “when.” He became the first Yellow Jacket kicker since 1991 with multiple game-winning field goals in one season, connecting from 23 yards with 11 seconds left in a 36-34 road victory over Boston College and a school record-tying 55 yarder as time expired to beat Clemson 24-21.
Dominic Bourgeois – Middle Tennessee
Class: Senior - Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Bourgeois makes the jump to FBS after a dominant season at Susquehanna where he led all Division III kickers in field goals and did it without a miss. His 20 FGs didn’t just set a new school record; they nearly doubled the old mark of 12. He went 4-for-4 in the season opener and then did it again in early November before adding 3 more makes in the playoffs.
Trey Butkowski – Michigan
Class: Sophomore – Hometown: Orlando, Florida
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Butkowski joins Michigan just a year after walking on at Pitt. There he set a school record by connecting on 16 straight attempts over a 6-game span, a stretch that came to an end in a 4-for-5, 17-point performance against NC State. He led all Pitt players in scoring despite missing two games due to illness.
Lucas Carneiro – Ole Miss
Class: Senior - Hometown: Cornelius, North Carolina
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Carneiro added 9 field goals in the College Football Playoff to tie the all-time FBS record for field goals in a season. He was the first kicker to reach the 30-FG mark since 2018 Groza winner Andre Szmyt. In the Rebels’ 39-34 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia he opened the scoring with makes from 55 and 56 yards, then put Ole Miss on top with a 47-yard winner with just six seconds remaining.
Jonah Delange – UAB
Class: Senior – Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
A Groza semifinalist in 2024, Delange did well enough in his second season to maintain his place atop the UAB record book as the school’s most accurate career kicker. After two seasons, his 31 career field goals sit 7th in Blazers history while he maintains his shot at becoming the first UAB kicker to go their entire career without missing a PAT.
Patrick Durkin – Florida
Class: Sophomore - Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Durkin follows coach Jon Sumrall from Tulane to Florida, giving the Gators one of the game’s top specialists. His 25 field goals tie for 2nd most among returning FBS kickers, while his 89.3% accuracy is 2nd best among returnees who made at least 20 FGs in FBS last season. He went 5-for-5 on field goals including makes from 52 and 50 yards out against Temple.
Kyle Ferrie – Mississippi State
Class: Senior – Hometown: Searcy, Arkansas
Heading into his fourth season as the Bulldogs’ starting kicker, Ferrie is poised to put his name atop the program’s most significant records. Already Mississippi State’s all-time leading kick-scorer, he needs 6 more field goals to become the leader in that category and just 39 more points to become the highest scoring player in program history at any position.
Nico Gramatica – USF
Class: Junior – Hometown: Tampa, Florida
The son of 1997 Lou Groza Award winner Martin Gramatica, Nico took over full-time at USF after serving as the long-distance specialist in his first year. Between the two seasons, he has a combined 5 makes from over 50 yards, already the most in program history. But his biggest career kick so far was also his shortest, a 20 yarder as time expired to beat Florida 18-16 on the road.
Stone Harrington – Texas Tech
Class: Senior – Hometown: Colleyville, Texas
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Harrington only had 8 field goals through the first 8 games as part of a kicking committee. But once he took over full-time duties, he added 14 over the final 5 contests, including Texas Tech’s first-ever 5-FG performance in a win over then-#7 BYU. With makes from 58 and 55, he’s the first Red Raider to ever connect multiple times from at least 55 yards out, much less in the same season.
Nolan Hauser – Clemson
Class: Junior – Hometown: Cornelius, North Carolina
Hauser followed up a freshman season in which he made the biggest kick in Clemson history – a 56-yarder as time expired to win the ACC Championship Game – with a quieter campaign that saw him improve his accuracy and nearly match his first year’s 18 FGs. One of just 4 returning kickers to make at least 9 FGs from 40+ yards while connecting at 80%+ overall.
Connor Hawkins – Ohio State
Class: Sophomore – Hometown: Liberty Hill, Texas
Hawkins comes to Ohio State having proven himself under pressure at Baylor as a freshman. In his first career road appearance, he hit a 27-yard winner in double overtime to knock off then-#17 SMU. Four games later he connected from 53 yards out with 31 seconds left to top Kansas State 35-34, one of three makes from 53 or longer in his first season.
Jackson Kleather – Northwestern
Class: Senior – Hometown: Tipp City, Ohio
A 2025 Groza semifinalist at Bowling Green, Kleather comes to Northwestern as one of only 8 returning FBS kickers who made multiple long-distance kicks last season while connecting at better than 85% accuracy overall. He had three games making at least 3-FG last year, including an opening 4-for-4 performance in which he hit from a season-long 56 yards.
Luca Lombardo – Boston College
Class: Senior – Hometown: Westport, Connecticut
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Lombardo very nearly rattled off a perfect season, making each of his first 16 attempts before a miss on his final attempt of the year. Despite the miss, his 94.1% accuracy last year was the best by a returning FBS kicker who also had a long-distance make, which he did twice, hitting from 52 and 51 yards.
Alex McPherson – Auburn
Class: Senior – Hometown: Fort Payne, Alabama
A Groza semifinalist in 2023, McPherson returned from illness and picked right back up as one of the nation’s leading kickers. At 40-for-45 in his career, he easily tops Auburn’s career accuracy list, a particular achievement considering the school has produced four Groza finalists, including Daniel Carlson, the only three-time finalist in Groza history.
Sean O’Haire – Maryland
Class: Sophomore – Hometown: Kildare, Ireland
O’Haire went 3-for-3 in his Maryland debut and never looked back, kicking multiple field goals in each of his first 5 games en route to a tie for the most makes by an FBS freshman and the lead in accuracy. Born and raised in Ireland, his first full season ever playing football finished as the Big Ten’s season leader in field goals per game.
David Olano – Texas A&M
Class: Graduate – Hometown: Naperville, Illinois
Olano comes to Texas A&M having left Illinois with one spectacular parting gift: his final kick with the Illini was a 29 yarder to lift the team to a 30-28 Music City Bowl victory over Tennessee. Among the other positive memories: his 41-yard winner to top USC 34-32, followed up the next week with a 5-for-5 performance on the road at Purdue.
Jack Olsen – Miami (FL)
Class: Senior – Hometown: Wheaton, Illinois
Olsen enters a kicking competition at Miami with an advantage over just about anyone in one very particular part of the field. His 12-for-12 performance on kicks between 30-39 yards tied for the FBS lead in that category. His 20 career makes from that range are tied for 3rd among active FBS kickers.
Eli Ozick – Iowa
Class: Junior – Hometown: Liberty, Montana
Ozick joins Iowa after being named a finalist for the Fred Mitchell Award, given to the top kicker outside of FBS. His 16-for-18 season was the second-most accurate in North Dakota State history. He has made 54-yard field goals in each of the last two seasons, the makes now tied with each other for the second-longest by a Bison kicker.
Gabe Panikowski – Florida State
Class: Senior – Hometown: San Diego, California
2024’s Fred Mitchell Award winner for the best non-FBS kicker in the country, Panikowski will look to do for Florida State what he did at Idaho State: stay perfect. He made big kicks from both long and short distance: his 55-yarder was the second-longest kick in FCS that season, while he walked off with a 24-yard road winner over Cal Poly.
Spencer Porath – Notre Dame
Class: Junior – Hometown: Brownsburg, Indiana
Porath joins a Notre Dame program that knows as well as anyone what he can do: he went 3-for-3 with a 48 yarder in South Bend last year with Purdue. It was far from his only big road performance, as he hit from 50 yards against Michigan in Ann Arbor and from 53 against Washington in Seattle, the third-longest field goal in Purdue history.
Lorcan Quinn – Alabama
Class: Sophomore - Hometown: Donaghmore, Ireland
Two years ago, Quinn’s kicking experience was limited to Gaelic football. Last year, he played his first season of college football and became the first kicker in Marshall’s history to make more than 20 field goals in a season, with a record 4 of those coming from long-distance. His 21 field goals tied for most by an FBS freshman last season.
Nico Radicic – Indiana
Class: Junior - Hometown: Coppell, Texas
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Radicic enters the season on pace to become the most accurate career kicker in FBS history. In addition to his 29-for-31 career field goal mark (3.5% clear of the all-time FBS record), he has yet to miss on any of his 158 career extra point attempts. 76 more would give him the longest streak in FBS history.
Cooper Ranvier – Tennessee
Class: Sophomore - Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
Ranvier comes to Tennessee after a freshman season in which he tied Louisville’s record for field goals with 21. That mark ties for 7th most among kickers who return to FBS this season. He had 7 games with multiple field goals, including a stretch of four straight in November that began with a 4-for-4 performance against Cal.
Tyler Robles – Washington
Class: Junior – Hometown: Encinitas, California
Among returning FBS kickers who made at least 20 field goals last year, nobody connected at a better rate than Robles’ 91.3% accuracy. He takes over at Washington after setting Texas State’s single-season records for both field goals and kick-scoring last year. He bring with him an active streak of having made each of his last 14 attempts.
Luis Rodriguez – Kansas State
Class: Junior – Hometown: Sylmar, California
Rodriguez made the leap from community college directly into the starting lineup for Kansas State and proved he was more than up to the task. He made his first 8 attempts before getting blocked on a last-second 56-yard attempt at Baylor, then continued into mid-November before his first pure miss. In the end he ranked 2nd among Big 12 kickers in accuracy.
Collin Rogers – Florida Atlantic
Class: Senior – Hometown: Prattville, Alabama
A Groza semifinalist in 2024, Rogers battled injury and adversity in playing just one game with SMU, a program where he stands as the all-time leading scorer. Despite the lost season, he comes to Florida Atlantic with the most career points and second-most career field goals of any active FBS kicker. In his last full season, he made 7 kicks from 50 yards or longer.
Tate Sandell – Oklahoma
Class: Senior – Hometown: Port Neches, Texas
The 2025 Lou Groza Award winner, Sandell became only the second kicker in FBS history to make 8 kicks from 50 yards or more, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1982. He also matched the FBS record with 16 kicks from 40 yards or longer. His 4-for-4 performance on the road at Tennessee set the record for longest average FG distance in a game with at least 4 makes, hitting from 40, 51, and twice from 55 yards for an average distance of 50.25 yards per attempt.
Ryon Sayeri – USC
Class: Sophomore - Hometown: West Hills, California
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Sayeri stepped into the starting job as a freshman and proceeded to set USC’s single-season field goal record. His 54-yard make against Michigan matched the second-longest field goal in program history. He capped off his stellar first season by going 4-for-4 against TCU in the Alamo Bowl.
Gianni Spetic – Texas
Class: Senior – Hometown: Chardon, Ohio
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Spetic comes to Texas having spent two years as the starter at Ohio and one at Memphis. With that much experience under his belt, he ranks 7th among active FBS kickers with 46 career field goals. He showed last year he’s still improving, making 4 long-distance FGs including a pair from 55 after only one long kick in his first two seasons.
Brock Taylor – Vanderbilt
Class: Senior – Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
A Groza semifinalist in 2024, Taylor followed up his lauded first season by improving on his accuracy and matching Vanderbilt’s program record for points in a season. He needs just 64 more to become the Commodores’ all-time leading scorer, a feat he could accomplish in just three seasons.
Clune Van Andel – Arkansas State
Class: Senior – Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
With 21 field goals in each of the past two years, Van Andel has twice matched the Arkansas State record for makes in a season. Last year’s campaign included 4 makes from 50 or more yards out, the first time a Red Wolves kicker has achieved that feat. He made 3 field goals including a last-second winner in a 15-14 road victory over South Alabama.
Manaki Watanabe – Fresno State
Class: Sophomore – Hometown: Novi, Michigan
As a freshman at Ashland, Watanabe led all of Division II in both field goals and accuracy. His 21 field goals set a program record and helped him earn All-American status. His 59-yard long smashed the school’s previous record of 52, set back in 1969. He takes over at Fresno State from Dylan Lynch, who was a Groza semifinalist in 2023.
Peyton Woodring – Georgia
Class: Senior – Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana
A 2025 Groza semifinalist, Woodring has been one of college football’s most consistent and productive kickers. His 59 career field goals are the most by an active FBS kicker with just three seasons of play. 46 of those have come from 30 yards or longer, the most by any active FBS kicker period. Having topped 100 points in each of his three seasons, he needs just 91 more to pass 2019 Lou Groza Award winner Rodrigo Blankenship as the program’s all-time leading scorer.
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.
Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a three-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the remaining 2026 preseason watch list calendar:
Mon., Aug. 10: Paul Hornung Award
Tue., Aug. 11: Allstate Wuerffel Trophy
Wed., Aug. 12: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
Thu., Aug. 13: Butkus Award
Fri., Aug. 14: Ray Guy Award
Mon., Aug. 17: Walter Camp Award
Tue., Aug. 18: Doak Walker Award
Wed., Aug. 19: Biletnikoff Award
Thu., Aug. 20: Davey O’Brien Award
Fri., Aug. 21: Bednarik Award
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.