As we end the first week of pre-season watch list releases, we head to the kickers. Twelve ACC kickers are on the watch lists for the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award.
The Augusta Sports Council placed five ACC kickers on the pre-season watch list for the Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in the country.
ACC Punters
Lachlan Wilson, Cal, Redshirt Senior
Alex Mastromanno, Florida State, Redshirt Senior
Daniel Sparks, Virginia, Fifth Year
Peter Moore, Virginia Tech, Redshirt Senior
Ivan Mora, Wake Forest, Redshirt Senior
The Particulars
There are 33 names on the initial watch list. The current list is comprised based on the 2023 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top 10 NCAA Punters from 2023, 2023 all-conference teams, 2023 All-American teams, the 2024 preseason all-conference teams, and eligible punters that were on the 2023 watch list.
More candidates can and will be added as the season goes on, based on on-field performance. The complete list of candidates will be released on November 6. After that, the voting panel will narrow the list to 10 candidates on November 15th.
A national body of FBS sports information directors, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on November 26.
The winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards in mid-December.
The entire pre-season watch list can be seen here.
ACC Placekickers
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission was also heard from Friday. They put out the preseason watch list for the 2024 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. It includes seven Atlantic Coast Conference kickers. There are 30 names total on the pre-season watch list.
The ACC contenders on the list are:
Todd Pelino, Duke, Junior
Ryan Fitzgerald, Florida State, Senior
Aidan Birr, Georgia Tech, Sophomore
Andres Borregales, Miami, Senior
Noah Burnette, North Carolina, Senior
Will Bettridge, Virginia, Junior
John Love, Virginia Tech, Sophomore
Players can be added to the list as the season goes along. The list will be pared down to 20 semifinalists on November 19th. Three finalists will be selected a week later. The winner will be announced during ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards show.
The voting panel consists of FBS head coaches, sports information directors, members of the media, and past Groza winners.
The entire pre-season watch list can be seen here.
