Colorado University Athletics
Kinney & Stefanou Named To National Award Watch Lists
July 25, 2018 | Football
Colorado's special team standouts receive preseason recognition
BOULDER – A pair of University of Colorado special teams standouts were named Wednesday to the preseason watch list for awards that honor the best collegiate player in the country at their respective positions.
Senior punter Alex Kinney was one of 27 players named to the 2018 Ray Guy Award watch list and sophomore kicker James Stefanou was one of 30 recognized on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award list.
Kinney in 2017 set new records for most punts downed inside the 20-yard line with 28, as well as the highest percentage of kicks doing so (50.0 percent). He enjoyed his best season yet in terms of gross (43.8) and net punting averages (41.7). In his first three seasons as Colorado's punter, he has 188 attempts for a career average of 41.6 yards with 66 downed inside the 20-yard line and 29 that he boomed 50 or more yards; his career-long is 70.
Stefanou, who was a first-team Freshman All-America selection by ESPN.com last year, was 17-of-22 on field goal attempts in his first season playing football; the 31-year-old is the eldest player in college football who played professional soccer in Australia before coming to Boulder. At one point during his freshman year he made nine-straight field goal attempts, tying the second-longest streak of makes in school history, and he was 35-for-35 on PATs.
Stefanou was one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award last year while Kinney was a candidate for the Ray Guy Award that honors the nation's best collegiate punter.
In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 15. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors (SIDs), media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on Nov. 20. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation's top punter.
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and it will announce 20 semifinalists on Thursday, Nov. 1. From this list, a panel of more than 300 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award by Tuesday, Nov. 20. That same group then selects the national winner.
Winners of both awards will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018.
Senior punter Alex Kinney was one of 27 players named to the 2018 Ray Guy Award watch list and sophomore kicker James Stefanou was one of 30 recognized on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award list.
Kinney in 2017 set new records for most punts downed inside the 20-yard line with 28, as well as the highest percentage of kicks doing so (50.0 percent). He enjoyed his best season yet in terms of gross (43.8) and net punting averages (41.7). In his first three seasons as Colorado's punter, he has 188 attempts for a career average of 41.6 yards with 66 downed inside the 20-yard line and 29 that he boomed 50 or more yards; his career-long is 70.
Stefanou, who was a first-team Freshman All-America selection by ESPN.com last year, was 17-of-22 on field goal attempts in his first season playing football; the 31-year-old is the eldest player in college football who played professional soccer in Australia before coming to Boulder. At one point during his freshman year he made nine-straight field goal attempts, tying the second-longest streak of makes in school history, and he was 35-for-35 on PATs.
Stefanou was one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award last year while Kinney was a candidate for the Ray Guy Award that honors the nation's best collegiate punter.
In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on Nov. 15. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors (SIDs), media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on Nov. 20. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation's top punter.
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and it will announce 20 semifinalists on Thursday, Nov. 1. From this list, a panel of more than 300 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award by Tuesday, Nov. 20. That same group then selects the national winner.
Winners of both awards will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018.
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