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Reed Named a Lou Groza Award Semifinalist
11/7/2019 10:30:00 AM | Football
West Palm Beach, Fla. – According to an announcement by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission on Thursday, Duke redshirt junior kicker AJ Reed is one of 20 semifinalists for the 2019 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl.
He becomes the first Duke player honored since Ross Martin finished a semifinalist in 2015.
In Duke's opening eight games, Reed has converted on all nine of his field goal attempts (30-, 50-, 49-, 26-, 31-, 33-, 33-, 36-, and 23-yards). The 50-yarder was a career long for the Prattville, Ala., native. His previous career-long was a 38-yard kick in 2016 when he was the Blue Devils' primary placekicker.
His nine consecutive FGs in 2019 marks the first time a Duke kicker has made nine-straight since Martin had 12 in a row to start the 2015 season.
Because of Reed's accuracy, he makes Duke one of two ACC schools with an unblemished mark through the uprights (Wake Forest). He is tied with seven others in the nation with a perfect field goal percentage and also is one of five nationally who are perfect on field goals and PATs. Finally, he is one five kickers in the country to be perfect on FGs and have a 50-yarder.
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.
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 27 finalists, including 15 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 10 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home six Super Bowls. That list includes 2019 NFL kickers Dan Bailey, Randy Bullock, Daniel Carlson, Mason Crosby, Jake Elliott, Ka'imi Fairbairn, Graham Gano, Matt Gay, Zane Gonzalez, Dustin Hopkins, Mike Nugent, and Cairo Santos.
Semifinalists will be voted on by a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on November 25th and honored at the 28th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards
Banquet on December 9th in Palm Beach County. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 12th.
For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, please visit LouGrozaAward.com, or follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter for updates as they happen.
National College Football Awards Association
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
The 2019 Lou Groza Award Semifinalists (listed alphabetically)
Matt Ammendola Senior Oklahoma State
Rodrigo Blankenship Senior Georgia
Gabe Brkic Freshman Oklahoma
Brent Cimaglia Junior Tennessee
Keith Duncan Junior Iowa
Christopher Dunn Sophomore NC State
Blake Grupe Sophomore Arkansas State
Peyton Henry Sophomore Washington
Logan Justus Senior Indiana
Jake Koehnke Senior Air Force
Connor Limpert Senior Arkansas
Blake Mazza Sophomore Washington State
Riley Patterson Junior Memphis
AJ Reed R-Junior Duke
Justin Rohrwasser Senior Marshall
Nick Sciba Sophomore Wake Forest
Sam Sloman Senior Miami (OH)
Jonathan Song Senior TCU
Brandon Talton Freshman Nevada
Jake Verity Junior East Carolina
He becomes the first Duke player honored since Ross Martin finished a semifinalist in 2015.
In Duke's opening eight games, Reed has converted on all nine of his field goal attempts (30-, 50-, 49-, 26-, 31-, 33-, 33-, 36-, and 23-yards). The 50-yarder was a career long for the Prattville, Ala., native. His previous career-long was a 38-yard kick in 2016 when he was the Blue Devils' primary placekicker.
His nine consecutive FGs in 2019 marks the first time a Duke kicker has made nine-straight since Martin had 12 in a row to start the 2015 season.
Because of Reed's accuracy, he makes Duke one of two ACC schools with an unblemished mark through the uprights (Wake Forest). He is tied with seven others in the nation with a perfect field goal percentage and also is one of five nationally who are perfect on field goals and PATs. Finally, he is one five kickers in the country to be perfect on FGs and have a 50-yarder.
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.
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 27 finalists, including 15 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 10 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home six Super Bowls. That list includes 2019 NFL kickers Dan Bailey, Randy Bullock, Daniel Carlson, Mason Crosby, Jake Elliott, Ka'imi Fairbairn, Graham Gano, Matt Gay, Zane Gonzalez, Dustin Hopkins, Mike Nugent, and Cairo Santos.
Semifinalists will be voted on by a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on November 25th and honored at the 28th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards
Banquet on December 9th in Palm Beach County. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 12th.
For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, please visit LouGrozaAward.com, or follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter for updates as they happen.
National College Football Awards Association
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
The 2019 Lou Groza Award Semifinalists (listed alphabetically)
Matt Ammendola Senior Oklahoma State
Rodrigo Blankenship Senior Georgia
Gabe Brkic Freshman Oklahoma
Brent Cimaglia Junior Tennessee
Keith Duncan Junior Iowa
Christopher Dunn Sophomore NC State
Blake Grupe Sophomore Arkansas State
Peyton Henry Sophomore Washington
Logan Justus Senior Indiana
Jake Koehnke Senior Air Force
Connor Limpert Senior Arkansas
Blake Mazza Sophomore Washington State
Riley Patterson Junior Memphis
AJ Reed R-Junior Duke
Justin Rohrwasser Senior Marshall
Nick Sciba Sophomore Wake Forest
Sam Sloman Senior Miami (OH)
Jonathan Song Senior TCU
Brandon Talton Freshman Nevada
Jake Verity Junior East Carolina
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