Aug 02, 2023 / KU ATHLETICS
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior kicker Seth Keller was named to the 30-player Watch List for the 2023 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, as announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission today.
The award is named for NFL Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons for the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL Championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. While the Watch List highlights 30 of the best returning kickers in the country, all FBS kickers remain eligible to be selected as semifinalists. The Committee also releases its “Stars of the Week” feature throughout the season on www.lougrozaaward.com.
From Colleyville, Texas, Keller is on the Lou Groza Award Watch List for the second consecutive season, also claiming a spot in 2022 while at Texas State. He transferred to Kansas for the spring 2023 semester as a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection, earning honorable mention in 2021 and 2022. Last season, Keller was 14-for-16 on field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards, while hitting all 28 of his extra point attempts. He was 4-for-4 on field goals from 20-29 yards, 7-for-8 on attempts from 30-39 yards and 3-for-4 on kicks over 40 yards.
Heading into his first season at KU, Keller has previously received Preseason All-Big 12 Fourth Team honors from Phil Steele. In 2022, he was a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented to the most outstanding player who began his FBS career as a walk-on. In his final season at Texas State, Keller became the program’s all-time leader in field goals, finishing with 37 makes in three seasons. His accuracy rate of 86.0 percent (37-for-43) is second among active FBS kickers with at least 40 tries.
Keller becomes the fourth Jayhawk named to a preseason watch list, joining Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal (Maxwell Award) and Cobee Bryant (Bronko Nagurski Trophy).
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Thursday, November 9th. From this list, the top three finalists will be selected, and the winner will be announced on December 4th in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935.
The Jayhawks kickoff their season on Friday, September 1 when they take on Missouri State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.