West Palm Beach, Fla. – Texas A&M junior placekicker Daniel LaCamera was named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2017 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl.
LaCamera, from Tarpon Springs, Fla., has connected on 14-of-16 field goals and 27-of-27 extra point attempts in 2017. He is a perfect 13-of-13 on field goals under 50 yards in length and he will enter Saturday's game against Auburn with a streak of nine successful field goal attempts.
He was named the Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week and a Lou Groza Award "Star of the Week" after hitting four field goals, including the game-winner, in the Aggies' 19-17 win over Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Oct. 14.
LaCamera's 14 field goals are tied for ninth-most in the Football Bowl Subdivision (No. 2 in the SEC) and his 87.5 success rate on field goals is tied for No. 15 nationally (No. 2 in the SEC).
For his career, LaCamera has hit 84-of-84 extra points to increase Texas A&M's school record streak of consecutive PATs to 231, which is the longest streak in the nation.
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 21st and honored at the 26th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 4th 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 7th.
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, 25 finalists, including 14 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning nine trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home five Super Bowls. That list includes 2017 NFL kickers Dan Bailey, Randy Bullock, Mason Crosby, Jake Elliott, Ka'imi Fairbairn, Kai Forbath, Graham Gano, Zane Gonzalez, Dustin Hopkins, Younghoe Koo, Mike Nugent, Cairo Santos, Caleb Sturgis, and Blair Walsh.
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. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Kris Pursell, Director of Event Operations at the Palm Beach County Sports Commission at (561) 233-3124 or kpursell@palmbeachsports.com.
The Lou Groza Award will be presented live as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, December 7. The three finalists will be honored during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with the 26th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet, presented by the Orange Bowl, on Monday, December 4.
2017 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Semifinalists
Michael Badgley – Miami (FL) -- Summit, New Jersey
Rodrigo Blankenship – Georgia -- Marietta, Georgia
Wyatt Bryan – Colorado State -- Larkspur, Colorado
Daniel Carlson – Auburn -- Colorado Springs, Colorado
Bryce Crawford – San Jose State -- Frisco, Texas
Blanton Creque – Louisville -- Shelbyville, Kentucky
Dominik Eberle – Utah State -- Nuremberg, Germany
Matt Gay – Utah -- Orem, Utah
Greg Joseph – Florida Atlantic -- Boca Raton, Florida
Daniel LaCamera – Texas A&M -- Tarpon Springs, Florida
Matthew McCrane – Kansas State -- Brownwood, Texas
Cole Murphy – Syracuse -- Castaic, California
Quinn Nordin – Michigan -- Rockford, Michigan
Griffin Oakes – Indiana -- Greenwood, Indiana
Erik Powell – Washington State -- Vancouver, Washington
Canon Rooker – Middle Tennessee -- Richmond Hill, Georgia
Jared Sackett – UTSA -- Fort Worth, Texas
James Stefanou – Colorado -- Melbourne, Australia
Jet Toner – Stanford -- Honolulu, Hawaii
Jameson Vest – Toledo -- Peachtree City, Georgia
LaCamera, from Tarpon Springs, Fla., has connected on 14-of-16 field goals and 27-of-27 extra point attempts in 2017. He is a perfect 13-of-13 on field goals under 50 yards in length and he will enter Saturday's game against Auburn with a streak of nine successful field goal attempts.
He was named the Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week and a Lou Groza Award "Star of the Week" after hitting four field goals, including the game-winner, in the Aggies' 19-17 win over Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Oct. 14.
LaCamera's 14 field goals are tied for ninth-most in the Football Bowl Subdivision (No. 2 in the SEC) and his 87.5 success rate on field goals is tied for No. 15 nationally (No. 2 in the SEC).
For his career, LaCamera has hit 84-of-84 extra points to increase Texas A&M's school record streak of consecutive PATs to 231, which is the longest streak in the nation.
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 21st and honored at the 26th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 4th 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 7th.
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, 25 finalists, including 14 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning nine trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home five Super Bowls. That list includes 2017 NFL kickers Dan Bailey, Randy Bullock, Mason Crosby, Jake Elliott, Ka'imi Fairbairn, Kai Forbath, Graham Gano, Zane Gonzalez, Dustin Hopkins, Younghoe Koo, Mike Nugent, Cairo Santos, Caleb Sturgis, and Blair Walsh.
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. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Kris Pursell, Director of Event Operations at the Palm Beach County Sports Commission at (561) 233-3124 or kpursell@palmbeachsports.com.
The Lou Groza Award will be presented live as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, December 7. The three finalists will be honored during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with the 26th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet, presented by the Orange Bowl, on Monday, December 4.
2017 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Semifinalists
Michael Badgley – Miami (FL) -- Summit, New Jersey
Rodrigo Blankenship – Georgia -- Marietta, Georgia
Wyatt Bryan – Colorado State -- Larkspur, Colorado
Daniel Carlson – Auburn -- Colorado Springs, Colorado
Bryce Crawford – San Jose State -- Frisco, Texas
Blanton Creque – Louisville -- Shelbyville, Kentucky
Dominik Eberle – Utah State -- Nuremberg, Germany
Matt Gay – Utah -- Orem, Utah
Greg Joseph – Florida Atlantic -- Boca Raton, Florida
Daniel LaCamera – Texas A&M -- Tarpon Springs, Florida
Matthew McCrane – Kansas State -- Brownwood, Texas
Cole Murphy – Syracuse -- Castaic, California
Quinn Nordin – Michigan -- Rockford, Michigan
Griffin Oakes – Indiana -- Greenwood, Indiana
Erik Powell – Washington State -- Vancouver, Washington
Canon Rooker – Middle Tennessee -- Richmond Hill, Georgia
Jared Sackett – UTSA -- Fort Worth, Texas
James Stefanou – Colorado -- Melbourne, Australia
Jet Toner – Stanford -- Honolulu, Hawaii
Jameson Vest – Toledo -- Peachtree City, Georgia