The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football's Auburn named to Lou Groza Award watch list
08.02.2024 | Football
Senior kicker Bert Auburn was selected to the watch list for the award honoring the best place-kicker in college football.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas senior kicker Bert Auburn was named to the Lou Groza Award preseason watch list for the second-consecutive year, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Friday. The award annually honors college football's top place-kicker.
Auburn is a fourth-year kicker who has appeared in 28 games and received first-team All-Big 12 praise by the league's coaches to go along with honorable mention All-America honors by Phil Steele in 2023. Heading into the 2024 season, Auburn has compiled multiple preseason honors, including First-Team All-SEC and Second-Team All-America by Phil Steele. Auburn has connected on 50-of-61 field goal attempts (81.97 percent) throughout his career on the 40 Acres.
The Flower Mound, Texas, product is coming off a sensational 2023 season where he established UT single-season records for field goals made (29) and points scored by a kicker (143). Auburn also set the Texas and Big 12 Conference record with 19-consecutive field goals made. Auburn's 143 points were also the third-most in a season in program history for any position, while he connected on 82.9% of field goal attempts – the seventh-best single-season mark in UT history. He made 29-of-35 field goal attempts and all 56 PATs during his junior campaign with 11 of his makes from 40+ yards out, including two from 50+ yards out (54 yards versus Texas Tech, 50 yards versus Iowa State). Versus Oklahoma, Auburn made all three field goals, including a 47-yard try and all three point after attempts. He was successful on all four field goals with a 49-yarder against Kansas State, earning Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week and Lou Groza Star of the Week honors. Against Iowa State, he kicked a career-long 50-yard field goal and converted on all three field goal attempts. Following up his standout performance versus the Cyclones, Auburn scored a Texas place-kicker record 21 points and tied the program record with five field goals while making six point-after tries against Texas Tech. He was given the CBS Sports Inside College Football's Game Ball for his performance against the Red Raiders.
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Tuesday, Nov. 19. From this list, a panel of 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. 26. That same group then selects the national winner, who will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 12 during the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
The 33rd Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes the three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet on Dec. 9 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Auburn and the Longhorns kick off the season at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 31, at home against Colorado State. The game will air on ESPN from inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
