The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football’s Spetic named to Lou Gorza Award watch list
08.07.2026 | Football
The award is presented annually to college football’s top place-kicker.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football senior kicker Gianni Spetic was named to the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commisssion announced Friday. The award annually recognizes college football's top place-kicker.
Texas has had a kicked named to the Lou Groza Award preseason watch list in each of the last four seasons after former UT kicker Mason Shipley was tabbed to the watch list in 2025, and former Longhorn kicker Bert Auburn was honored on the watch list in 2023-24.
Spetic is one of 35 kickers selected to the preseason watch list. A first-year player on the Forty Acres who transferred to Texas from Memphis during spring 2026, Spetic has played in 39 career games across three seasons at Memphis (2025) and Ohio (2023-24). Last season at Memphis, Spetic appeared in 13 games and made 15-of-20 field goal attempts (75 percent). The Chardon, Ohio, product was 3-for-3 from 20-29 yards out, 5-for-6 from 30-39 yards out, 3-for-6 from 40-49 yards out and 4-for-5 from 50+ yards with a long of 55 yards. Spetic was 49-of-49 on extra-point attempts. Spetic finished the season with a career-high 94 total points. Spetic garnered the American Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 6, 2025, after going 6-for-6 on PATs and nailing a 50-yard field goal en route to Memphis' 10th-straight win to claim bowl eligibility with a victory over Tulsa.
Accomplishments will be tabulated throughout the season, and the Lou Groza Award will announce 20 semifinalists on Nov. 17. From this list, a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and NFL kickers will select the top thre finalists for the award, which will be announced on Nov. 24. The 35th annual Lou Groza Award will recognize the three finalists for the award on Dec. 7 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The award winner will be announced on Dec. 10 during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN.
Texas opens the 2026 season vs. Texas State at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 5, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will broadcast on ESPN.
