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.”

Isaiah Hankins set several career records on Saturday, each of them vital to Baylor’s 32-29 win over Cincinnati in the first-ever meeting between the schools. The sophomore from Little Rock, Ark. kicked four field goals for the first time and got there the hard way with all four coming from over 40 yards out. He made a pair from 43, a 46-yarder, and set a career-long with a 54-yard kick that opened the game’s scoring. He’s the first Bear with four field goals in a game since 2017.

Minnesota beat Iowa on the road for the first time since 1999, with kicker Dragan Kesich scoring every point on four field goals in a 12-10 victory. With the Gophers down 10-3 at the half, the senior from Oak Creek, Wis. controlled the game the rest of the way with kicks from 44 and 28 yards setting up the eventual game-winner from 31. It’s the first time a Minnesota kicker made four in a game since 2016 and provided the Gophers with enough points to win without a touchdown for the first time since 1981.

UNLV’s Jose Pizano enters the FBS record books in a tie for the second-most field goals in a single game, going 6-for-6 including the game-winner to top Colorado State 25-23. The senior from Lehi, Utah had already connected from 46, 43, 42, 34, and 25 yards out before splitting the uprights from 28 yards out for the win. Including an earlier PAT, his 19-point game shattered the program record for scoring by a kicker and stands as the highest total in FBS so far this year. The performance moves him to the top of the leaderboard with 18 field goals on 19 attempts.

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.

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.