GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Thirteen ACC football specialists were named to national watch lists Wednesday, with seven punters selected to the Ray Guy Award Watch List and six placekickers chosen for the Lou Groza Award Watch List. The ACC’s total of seven Ray Guy Award Watch List honorees is the most of any conference.
2021 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List
Ben Kiernan, North Carolina
Ivan Mora, Wake Forest
Kirk Christodoulou, Pitt
Lou Hedley, Miami
Porter Wilson, Duke
Trenton Gill, NC State
Will Spiers, Clemson
Lou Groza Award Watch List
Christopher Dunn, NC State
Charlie Ham, Duke
B.T. Potter, Clemson
Nick Sciba, Wake Forest
Andre Szmyt, Syracuse
James Turner, Louisville
The Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Thursday, Nov. 4. From this list, a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award, announced on Tuesday, Nov. 23. That same group then selects the national winner, who will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 9 during the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
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.
The complete list of candidates for the Ray Guy Award will be released on Nov. 2. In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 10. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on Nov. 23. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation’s top punter. The winner will be announced live during the Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 9.
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia native and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents' 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned with particular emphasis placed on net punting average. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team’s success.