2015 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker award preseason watch list announced

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla -- Maryland senior Brad Craddock headlines the 30-player watch list for the 2015 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. The preseason list was announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission on Thursday. The Terrapins kicker is looking to become the second repeat winner in the history of the award.

Florida State junior Roberto Aguayo and West Virginia junior Josh Lambert also joining Craddock on the watch list. Both kickers were finalists for the Groza in 2014. Aguayo, who won the award as a freshman in 2013, leads the nation in field goals over the past two seasons, while Lambert last year became just the third kicker in FBS history to make 30 field goals in a single campaign.

MORE: Preseason Watch List Central

The three former finalists are joined on the watch list by a dozen other kickers who were named semifinalists last season, as well as by 15 new kickers. All ten FBS conferences are represented among the 30 kickers, led by the ACC with six, the Pac-12 with five, and the Big 12 with four. The Big Ten, MAC and SEC each placed three kickers, followed by a pair each from the American and Conference USA. The Mountain West and the Sun Belt each placed one kicker.

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.

Player, School, Year
Roberto Aguayo, Florida State, Junior
Kyle Bullard, Houston, Senior
Brad Craddock,  Maryland, Senior
Ka’imi Fairbairn, UCLA, Senior
Elliott Fry,  South Carolina, Junior
Ian Frye, Virginia, Senior
Rafaell Gaglianone, Wisconsin, Sophomore
Andrew Gantz, Cincinnati, Sophomore  
Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State, Junior
Paul Griggs, Purdue, Senior
Ben Grogan, Oklahoma State, Junior
Donny Hageman, San Diego State, Senior
Andrew Haldeman, Western Michigan, Senior
Ammon Lakip, Clemson, Senior
Josh Lambert, West Virginia,
Austin MacGinnis, Kentucky, Sophomore
Ross Martin, Duke, Senior
Jay Mattox, UTEP, Junior
Matthew McCrane,  Kansas State, Sophomore
Trevor Moore, North Texas, Sophomore
Marshall Morgan, Georgia, Senior
Cole Murphy, Syracuse, Sophomore
Jaden Oberkrom, TCU, Senior
Andy Phillips, Utah, Junior
Aidan Schneider, Oregon, Sophomore
Robert Stein, Akron, Senior
Aleem Sunanon, South Alabama, Junior
Tyler Tate, Bowling Green, Senior
Cameron Van Winkle, Washington, Junior
John Wallace, Louisville, Senior