Matthew Dapore named semifinalist for Lou Groza Award – U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics
Dapore ranks third in the Mountain West and 30th nationally in field goals with a 1.33 average. He is second in the MW and 26th nationally in field goal percentage with an 85.7 mark. Dapore is sixth in the conference in scoring with a 6.9 norm. He has hit 12 of 14 field goals this season and 16 of his last 18 dating back to last season and has hit two field goals in six games. Dapore has hit 20 of 24 field goals in his career and his .833 percentage ranks fourth in program history.
Eight have been semifinalists before, including last year’s winner Michigan senior Jake Moody and Syracuse senior Andre Szmyt who won the award as a freshman back in 2018. Joining them are semifinalists from every year in between: NC State senior Christopher Dunn (2019), Georgia senior Jack Podlesny (2020), Clemson senior B.T. Potter (2020), Alabama senior Will Reichard (a finalist in 2020), Boise State junior Jonah Dalmas (2021), and the only three-time semifinalist in Missouri junior Harrison Mevis (2021 and 2020).
Among the names on the list are all 11 kickers who have made 15 or more field goals while connecting at 80% or better, including UTEP senior Gavin Baechle, the only FBS kicker to reach 20 field goals at this point. He’s joined by Wyoming sophomore John Hoyland (19), Dunn (18), Buffalo senior Alex McNulty (16), Podlesny (16), Reichard (16), University of Miami sophomore Andres Borregales (15), Oklahoma State senior Tanner Brown (15), North Texas senior Ethan Mooney (15), Potter (15) and Szmyt (15).
Four of the semifinalists are still perfect on field goals, with Dunn’s 18-for-18 mark leading the nation, followed by Stanford junior Joshua Karty (14-for-14), Arkansas State freshman Dominic Zvada (13-for-13) and South Alabama junior Diego Guajardo (12-for-12).
If Moody or Szmyt were to repeat their win, they would join Sebastian Janikowski as the only two-time Lou Groza Award recipients. On the other side of the coin, Zvada is joined by Iowa’s Drew Stevens as the only freshmen on the list, vying to become just the fourth freshman winner and the first since Szmyt himself.
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 29th and honored at the 31st annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet on December 5th in Palm Beach County. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN during the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 8th.
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, 28 finalists, including 16 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home 7 Super Bowls. That list includes 2022 NFL kickers Rodrigo Blankenship, Randy Bullock, Daniel Carlson Mason Crosby, Jake Elliott, Ka’imi Fairbairn, Graham Gano, Matt Gay, Zane Gonzalez, Dustin Hopkins, Younghoe Koo, and Cairo Santos.
Please see attached PDF for complete list of semifinalists.
National College Football Awards Association
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. The NCFAA 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 our story.
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 support 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, the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches, and the annual Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, go to www.palmbeachsports.com.