Kickers are people, too, and we have awards to remind us of the fact. Preseason awards season keeps going and the first week of August, and the first week of preseason watchlists, are capped off with the two kicker awards.
This year will mark the 33rd Lou Groza Award, presented by the Orange Bowl. The award is named for NFL Hall of Famer Lou Groza who played with the Cleveland Browns for 21 years and won NFL Player of the Year in 1954. He revolutionized football, proving that kickers deserve to have a spot on rosters. Last year’s winner, Graham Nicholson (Miami (OH), transferred to Alabama), was not on the preseason watchlist, so it goes to show even players not named here can earn it.
The Big Ten has seven players earning the honor this year.
Seven Big Ten Kickers Land on Preseason Lou Groza Award Watchlist
Grady Gross, Washington
To kick off the Big Ten’s honorees, pun intended, Washington’s Grady Gross was a crucial piece of Washington’s College Football Playoff run. It was his first season as the Huskies’ full-time kicker and he responded by leading the team in points with 117. He was a perfect 63-for-63 on extra points and 18-of-22 on field goals. Gross was a perfect seven-for-seven in the Huskies’ final three must-win games. He was perfect from within 30 yards.
Dragan Kesich, Minnesota
Dragan Kesich was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist a year ago and was almost single-handedly responsible for a couple of his Golden Gophers’ wins. Kesich converted on all 27 extra-point attempts and was 23-of-27 on field goals. He was responsible for all 12 of Minnesota’s points in the 12-10 win over Iowa. He was three-of-four when attempting 50+ field goals and perfect from within 30 on the year.
Kesich is the reigning Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year in the Big Ten.
Michael Lantz, USC
There was a handful of kickers who transferred this offseason and Michael Lantz was one. With Georgia Southern, Lantz recorded an incredible 114 points. He converted on all 45 extra-point attempts on the year and made 23-of-28 field goals. His 114 points were the most among all players in the Sun Belt last year.
Chase Meyer, Penn State
Another transfer who lands on the Lou Groza Award watchlist, Chase Meyer was one of the best kickers in the American Athletic Conference a year ago at Tulsa. He made 30-of-31 extra points and was 17-of-20 on field goals. Meyer started his season with 10 made-field goals in a row for missing one. He was perfect from inside 30 on the year and will be trusted to remain clutch for the Nittany Lions this fall.
Drew Stevens, Iowa
For Lou Groza Award enthusiasts, Drew Stevens is a familiar name. He is a two-time semifinalist and looks to be a shoo-in to be one this fall as well with Iowa. Stevens accounted for 73 points for the Hawkeyes and made 19 of his 20 extra-point attempts. He did struggle kicking field goals last year, however. He only made 18 of his 26 attempts and was 50% from beyond 40 yards. Given, he did have a four-for-four day in the Hawkeyes’ 26-16 win over Michigan State.
Nathanial Vakos, Wisconsin
After transferring to Wisconsin from Ohio before the 2023 season, Nathanial Vakos was also a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. He converted on 15 of his 19 field goal attempts and was 14-of-15 from within 50. When it came to extra points, Vakos was a perfect 34-for-34. His 37 career field goals rank third among all active kickers.
Dominic Zvada, Michigan
Finally, Dominic Zvada transferred to Michigan from Arkansas State this offseason. With the Sun Devils, Zvada was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2022 but not last year. Despite that, he was a perfect 41-of-41 on extra points and made 17 of his 22 field attempts. He’s the third most accurate active kicker on attempts over 40 yards and his 14 makes are the second most. Last year, he attempted one field goal over 50 and he made the 53-yarder.
