Miami’s kicking room just got a major addition for 2026, and Jack Olsen’s résumé already looks the part.
The Hurricanes kicker has landed on the 2026 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award preseason watch list, putting him among 35 names on the board for the award’s 35th anniversary. The Groza goes to the nation’s top place-kicker every year, and Olsen earned his spot after a steady, high-end season at Northwestern.
Last year, Olsen hit 19 of 21 field goals for a 90.5% success rate. He also converted 24 of 25 extra points and finished with 81 points in 12 games. His longest make of the season came from 41 yards.
Among 17 returning FBS kickers who tried at least 15 field goals last season, only two were more accurate than Olsen: Boston College’s Luca Lombardo at 94.1% and Washington’s Tyler Robles at 91.3%.
Olsen’s path to Miami started at Michigan State in 2020 before he transferred to Northwestern. He became the Wildcats’ primary kicker in 2023 and kept the job through 2025, appearing in 30 games overall. In that span, he went 40 of 51 on field goals and 69 of 70 on extra points.
He also delivered in big moments. Olsen went 3 for 3, including the game-winner, in Northwestern’s 22-21 upset of Penn State last season.
He was 3 for 3 again in a 38-35 win over Minnesota. Wildcats fans knew him as “The Milkman,” a nickname tied to his celebration after made kicks.
There were a few limits to his range last season. Olsen did not try a field goal from 50 yards or longer in 2025. He was flawless from 30 to 49 yards, going 14 for 14, but finished 5 of 7 from inside 30.
Miami also added Florida State transfer Jake Weinberg during the winter portal cycle, and Weinberg is expected to handle kickoff duties.
Olsen steps into a job previously held by Carter Davis, who used up his eligibility after going 17 of 23 in 2025 with a long of 53 yards. Davis’ signature moment was the 47-yard game-winner that lifted Miami past Notre Dame 27-24 in last season’s opener.
Miami has already had success with the Groza Award. Jose Borregales won it in 2020, and his brother Andres Borregales started four seasons from 2021 through 2024, made 74 career field goals and became the first kicker selected in the 2025 NFL Draft when New England drafted him.
Six ACC kickers made this year’s watch list. Along with Olsen, the group includes Lombardo, Clemson’s Nolan Hauser, Florida State’s Gabe Panikowski, Georgia Tech’s Aidan Birr and Virginia’s Will Bettridge.
Oklahoma senior Tate Sandell leads the field as the defending winner. If he wins again, he would join former Florida State kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who won in 1998 and 1999, as the only two-time Groza recipients.
Every FBS kicker is still eligible for the award, no matter who made the watch list. The committee will announce 20 semifinalists on Nov. 17, 10 finalists on Nov. 24 and the winner on Dec. 10 at the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
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