Trio of state kickers on watch list
WEST PALM BEACH — The 26th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award preseason watch list released Wednesday includes 13 former semifinalists, a two-time finalist and a trio of kickers from Florida schools.
Florida State sophomore Ricky Aguayo, Florida junior Eddy Pineiro and Miami senior Michael Badgley were among 30 players named to the Groza list, which was announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Aguayo’s older brother, Roberto, now a kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, won the award as a redshirt freshman for the Seminoles in 2013.
Ricky Aguayo was 19 of 26 on field goal attempts as a freshman last season and also converted 51 of 52 extrapoint attempts; Pineiro was 21 of 25 on field-goal attempts, and hit three from more than 50 yards; and Badgley converted 21 of 26 field-goal attempts and was 53 of 55 on extra points.
They join an accomplished group of placekickers on the watch list. Two- time finalist Daniel Carlson, an Auburn senior, headlines the list along with Louisiana Tech senior Jonathan Barnes and Virginia Tech senior Joey Slye.
Barnes and Slye are the only other active kickers along with Carlson to be named semifinalists twice.
Carlson enters the 2017 season with 69 career field goals — the most by an active kicker — and a perfect streak on extra points, having made all 141 career attempts.
Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez won the award last year.
Twenty semifinalists will be revealed Nov. 2, and three finalists Nov. 21. The winner will be announced Dec. 7 during the College Football Awards Show. The three finalists will be recognized during an awards banquet in West Palm Beach on Dec. 4.
The award is named for NFL Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleve- land Browns before retiring in 1967. He was named the NFL Player of the Year in 1954.