Auburn’s Alex McPherson named to 2025 Lou Groza Award watch listing – Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala. Auburn’s Alex McPherson is one in all 30 kickers named to the Lou Groza Award watch listing, the Palm Beach Sports Commission introduced Friday.

The solely lively FBS kicker with a profession fee of 90 % on 20 or extra makes an attempt, McPherson holds Auburn’s document for consecutive made area targets with 20.

A junior from Fort Payne, Alabama, McPherson was a Groza Award semifinalist as a redshirt freshman in 2023 earlier than lacking most of final season with an sickness. Now recovered, McPherson labored out in the course of the summer season with Auburn’s specialists.

“It gives me some confidence that my body can hold up, that I can trust it and not have to worry about it every step of the way like I had to last year,” McPherson stated. “I think this is definitely one of the strongest groups in the country. We have three really strong kickers, we’ve got three strong punters. This group is definitely special and it’s going to be something to look out for this year.”

Accomplishments are tabulated all through the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Tuesday, Nov. 18. From this listing, a panel of greater than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and present NFL kickers selects the highest three finalists for the award, introduced on Tuesday, Nov. 25. That similar group then selects the nationwide winner, who might be introduced on Friday, Dec.12 in the course of the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.

The thirty fourth Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, offered by the Orange Bowl, acknowledges the three finalists throughout a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet on Dec. 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Groza Award is known as for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who performed 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza gained 4 NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as properly, Groza ushered within the notion that there ought to be a spot on an NFL roster for a kicker.