Arizona's Star Kicker Named Semifinalist For Coveted Lou Groza Award
Despite the underwhelming performance from Arizona this season, there is no denying some of the star power they have on this roster.
From future first-round NFL draft pick Tetairoa McMillan to likely Day 2 selections Jonah Savaiinaea and Tacario Davis, the Wildcats have been able to field a team over the years with players who have professional futures.
That is partly why this campaign has been so disappointing.
Arizona still has a chance to salvage their season if they win the final two contests of the year to qualify for a bowl game, but they will certainly have their hands full when facing TCU on the road off their bye week and their newly-ranked rivals Arizona State.
While the overall performance hasn't been what they expected on the field, two of their players are in contention to bring home some national awards after the year.
The most recent one is star kicker Tyler Loop who has been named a semifinalist for the coveted Lou Groza Award, joining 19 others who earned this distinction.
Tyler Loop 🤝 Lou Groza Award Semifinalist pic.twitter.com/72kbQPTwXI
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 19, 2024
Loop has put together a good showing so far this season.
Not only has he gone 16-of-20 on his field goal attempts, but he is coming out of a game against Houston where he tied the program record by making a 62-yard field goal before halftime.
Loop could be a longshot to win the award this year, that's how well kickers have performed across the country.
While his 80% make rate is a very solid number at the collegiate level, there are seven FBS kickers who have made 90% or more this season.
His long-range prowess is not even something that gives him an edge among the other semifinalists, with one hitting seven 50-yarders or longer already and six others have hit three-plus field goals from distance while still making 82% or more of their kicks.
This is a stacked group.
Still, Loop could come away with some hardware if he continues to perform well.
The three finalists will be announced on Nov. 26 after a panel of FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers tally up their votes.
