Florida kicker Patrick Durkin is already on the Lou Groza Award radar.
Durkin was named Friday to the preseason watch list for the award given annually to the nation’s top kicker, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced. It’s the first time Durkin has made the preseason list.
That’s no small nod, either. Durkin arrives in Gainesville after a 2025 season that earned him American Athletic Conference Special Team Player of the Year honors at Tulane. He was sharp all year, hitting 25 of 28 field goals for 89.3 percent and making 41 of 42 extra points.
That field goal rate stands as the second-best among returning FBS kickers who made at least 20 field goals last season. His 25 makes are tied for the second-most in that group.
Durkin transferred to Florida this offseason from Tulane, following Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall to Gainesville. He came along with punter Alec Clark and special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante.
"I'm really pleased with how he and several others that transferred have gotten acclimated with everything," Galante said of Durkin on Tuesday.
"We take for granted that these players are transitioning. For him, he was at Tulane for two years.
He's just getting comfortable and had a great season last year. He transitions now to a whole new town, a whole new city, a whole new environment, higher level.
And he did well. He finished better than he started spring ball and in the position he's in right now, I'm very excited where he's at.
The Lou Groza Award goes to the best placekicker in college football and is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou Groza, who spent 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. He was also an All-Pro offensive lineman and helped establish the placekicker’s role on an NFL roster.
The award’s process will move forward later this fall. The Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will name its 20 semifinalists on Tuesday, November 17th.
A panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, sports information directors, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers will then select the top three finalists, which will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
That same group will choose the winner, who will be revealed on Thursday, Dec. 10 during the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
Florida’s Patrick Durkin is one of the kickers on the 2026 Lou Groza Award preseason watch list: Ryan Barker - Penn State; Will Bettridge - Virginia; Aidan Birr - Georgia Tech; Dominic Bourgeois - Middle Tennessee; Trey Butkowski - Michigan; Lucas Carneiro - Ole Miss; Jonah Delange - UAB; Patrick Durkin - Florida; Kyle Ferrie - Mississippi State; Nico Gramatica - USF; Stone Harrington - Texas Tech; Nolan Hauser - Clemson; Connor Hawkins - Ohio State; Jackson Kleather - Northwestern; Luca Lombardo - Boston College; Alex McPherson - Auburn; Sean O'Haire - Maryland; David Olano - Texas A&M; Jack Olsen - Miami (FL); Eli Ozick - Iowa; Gabe Panikowski - Florida State; Spencer Porath - Notre Dame; Lorcan Quinn - Alabama; Nico Radicic - Indiana; Cooper Ranvier - Tennessee; Tyler Robles - Washington; Luis Rodriguez - Kansas State; Collin Rogers - Florida Atlantic; Tate Sandell - Oklahoma; Ryon Sayeri - USC; Gianni Spetic - Texas; Brock Taylor - Vanderbilt; Clune Van Andel - Arkansas State; Manaki Watanabe - Fresno State; Peyton Woodring - Georgia.
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