Although they must clamor for recognition behind the SEC’s wealth of excellent punters, three of the conference’s placekickers are among the nation’s best at the position this preseason.
The Lou Groza Award released its 30-member watch list Thursday, based on 2014 stats and 2015 expectations. Three different SEC players made the list: Georgia’s Marshall Morgan, Kentucky’s Austin MacGinnis and South Carolina’s Elliott Fry.
Although the award has been given out annually since 1992, just two SEC players have ever won — Florida’s Judd Davis (1993) and Ole Miss’ Jonathan Nichols (2003).
MacGinnis earned first-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press in 2014 after drilling 21 of 27 field-goal attempts as a freshman for the Wildcats. UGA’s Morgan (22 of 24) and SC’s Fry (15 of 18) both enjoyed their most accurate seasons in ’13.
Auburn’s Daniel Carlson is another name to watch. Carlson made 18 of 24 attempts as a true freshman and his touchback percentage (63 percent) was the highest in the SEC last season.
Mississippi State’s Evan Sobiesk, who made 12 of 14 field goal attempts last season, left the team to pursue a career in dentistry.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
