BATON ROUGE – LSU’s Cole Tracy has been named one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, which is presented annually to college football’s top placekicker, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced on Monday.
Tracy, a graduate transfer from Assumption College, currently leads the Southeastern Conference in field goals with 22. He’s connected on 22-of-25 field goals this year, which includes the game-winner as time expired in LSU’s 22-21 win over then-No. 7 Auburn in September.
Tracy is joined on the list of finalists by Syracuse’s Andre Szmyt and Cooper Rothe of Wyoming.
In addition to ranking third in the nation in field goals with 22, Tracy also ranks No. 3 nationally in field goas per game (2.0) and is No. 4 in the nation field goal percentage among those kickers with at least 20 attempts at 88.0 percent.
Tracy has only missed one kick inside of 50 yards this year as two of his three misses have come from 53 yards out – at Auburn and vs. Ole Miss.
Tracy’s 22 field goals currently ranks as the third-highest total in school history and his 25 attempts sits as No. 5 in LSU history. Against Georgia, Tracy tied the school-record for field goals in a game with five and he set the LSU mark for points by kicking with 19 in the 36-16 win over the then-No. 2 ranked Bulldogs.
Tracy goes into the Texas A&M game with 99 points, which leads the Tigers, ranks fourth in the SEC and 15th nationally.
This year, fans can have their part in naming the winner of the Lou Groza Award. Fans can visit www.lougrozaaward.com/18finalists and cast a vote for their favorite of the three finalists selected by the national panel of voters. The finalist who receives the greatest total of fan votes will be given one vote on the final ballot. One vote can make a difference in the final outcome so fans are encouraged to participate.
The three finalists will be honored at the 27th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet, presented by the Orange Bowl, on Monday, December 3rd at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. For more information on the Lou Groza Award and the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, visit www.palmbeachsports.com.
The three Lou Groza Award finalists will be highlighted on ESPNU during The Home Depot College Football Awards Nomination Special airing Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
This year’s Lou Groza Award winner will be revealed on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show airing live from the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. ET.