Palm Beach County Sports Commission

College football’s top kicking award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes three of the top kickers each week from FBS division teams as the “Stars of the Week.”

For the second week in a row, Alex Hale is a Groza Star, this time for knocking through four field goals in Oklahoma State’s 39-32 upset of Kansas. Following last week’s 5-FG game, the senior from Point Frederick, Australia becomes the first kicker in program history to make nine field goals in a two-game span. Three of the four kicks came in the Cowboys’ comeback from 8 points down late in the third quarter. Hale now sits in a three-way tie atop the FBS leaderboard with 15 field goals this season.

Scott Taylor Renfroe’s four field goals were more than enough offense in Troy’s 19-0 shutout of Army. The sophomore from Troy, Ala. tied the program record with his kicks from 43, 35, 32, and 24 yards out, but that’s far from the only mark he’s set this year. Just seven games into the season, he’s already tied the Trojan record with 6 multi-FG games. Tied for the FBS lead with 15 field goals this year, he’s just the third kicker in Sun Belt history with that many makes in a team’s first seven games.

Trey Smack put together his second massive game of the season, kicking four field goals and scoring 15 points in Florida’s 41-39 road win over South Carolina. The sophomore from Severna Park, Md. matched his career-long with a 54-yarder to go along with makes from 48, 44, and 28 yards out. It’s Smack’s second Groza Star recognition this year, joining his 5-for-5 outing against Charlotte where he also connected from 54 yards. He only has two attempts in Florida’s other five games combined, giving him an 11-for-12 overall mark that ties him as the fourth-most accurate FBS kicker among those with double-digit attempts so far.

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.

For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the “Stars of the Week” throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow the Lou Groza Award on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and Threads at @LouGrozaAward.

National College Football Awards Association

The Lou Groza Award is a National College Football Awards Association member. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.

For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.

About the Palm Beach County Sports Commission

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the County as a sports and sports tourism destination. The Commission brings sporting events and activities to the County, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (primarily in the off-season), and maximizes utilization of County facilities. The Commission offers a full range of event service support, corporate partnerships, sponsorships, and a local membership program that supports its goals. Local, regional, national, and international marketing efforts are ongoing by the Commission with sports organizations and event owners. The Commission also produces sports-related programs for the residents of Palm Beach County including the annual Lou Groza Award program, the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, and the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, go to www.palmbeachsports.com.