Ozick Named to Lou Groza Award Watch List – Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics

Fourth-year kicker Eli Ozick has been named to the 2026 Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award Watch List. IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa fourth-year kicker Eli Ozick has been named to the 2026 Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award Watch List, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced on Friday. In its 35th season, the award recognizes the nation’s best place-kicker. Ozick joins the Hawkeyes after being named a finalist for the Fred Mitchell Award, given to the top kicker outside the FBS. The Liberty, Missouri, native earned second-team Associated Press FCS All-America and All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First Team accolades in 2025. His 16-for-18 season was the second-most accurate in North Dakota State history. Ozick has made 54-yard field goals in each of the last two seasons, with those kicks tied for the second-longest in Bison program history. The watch list highlights the 35 best returning kickers in the country. All FBS kickers remain eligible to be selected for weekly and postseason honors, with 20 semifinalists to be announced on Nov. 17 by the Groza Committee.  From this list, a panel of FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers will select the top three finalists for the award
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