Jonathan Kim Named Semifinalist for Lou Groza Award
11/19/2024 5:12:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State sixth-year graduate senior Jonathan Kim has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to the nation's best placekicker. The award is presented by the Orange Bowl and run by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Kim is 18-for-20 (.900) on field-goal attempts this season, including 3-of-4 from 50-yards out and 7-of-7 from 40-49 yards out. He leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for 11th in the FBS with 18 made field goals. His three 50-plus yard field goals ranks tied for 10th in the FBS.
A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Kim earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors and was named one of the Lou Groza Award three stars of the week after setting a school record with six field goals in the win over Iowa on Oct. 19, which is the most by any player in the FBS this season. He connected on six of his seven field-goal attempts against the Hawkeyes, including a season-long 55-yarder in the fourth quarter. He also was good from 42, 43, 36, 29 and 46 yards out. It also tied a modern-day Big Ten record, matching Jake Moody of Michigan with six field goals vs. Indiana (11/17/18); E.C. Robertson of Purdue owns the overall record with seven field goals on Oct. 27, 1900, vs. Rose Poly. With 20 points overall against Iowa, including two PATs, Kim also set a top scoring mark in modern-day Big Ten history by a kicker, bettering the 19 points by Moody in 2018 vs. Indiana.
Kim also made a game-winning 37-yard field goal with one second remaining to help MSU past Maryland, 27-24, on Sept. 7 in College Park. In addition, he hit a 50-yarder as time expired in the first half against the Terrapins.
Kim leads the Spartans in scoring with a total of 71 points through 10 games; in addition to his 18 field goals, he is 17-of-19 on point-after attempts.
An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media in 2023, Kim led the Spartans in scoring with 56 points (4.7 pg) in 2023 and was 13-of-18 (.722) on field goals and 17-of-17 on point-after attempts; he made four field goals of 50-plus yards, tied for third most in the FBS. He made a Kinnick Stadium record 58-yard field goal, a career long, last season at Iowa.
In his two-year Spartan career, Kim is 31-of-38 (.816) on field goals, including seven from 50-plus yards. Prior to transferring to MSU for the 2023 season, Kim spent four years at North Carolina (2019-22).
Semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award will be voted on by a panel of FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. The finalists will be announced on Nov. 26 and honored at the 33rd annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet on Dec. 9 in Palm Beach County. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 12.
The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL Championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 32 finalists, including 17 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home seven Super Bowls.
Kim is 18-for-20 (.900) on field-goal attempts this season, including 3-of-4 from 50-yards out and 7-of-7 from 40-49 yards out. He leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for 11th in the FBS with 18 made field goals. His three 50-plus yard field goals ranks tied for 10th in the FBS.
A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Kim earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors and was named one of the Lou Groza Award three stars of the week after setting a school record with six field goals in the win over Iowa on Oct. 19, which is the most by any player in the FBS this season. He connected on six of his seven field-goal attempts against the Hawkeyes, including a season-long 55-yarder in the fourth quarter. He also was good from 42, 43, 36, 29 and 46 yards out. It also tied a modern-day Big Ten record, matching Jake Moody of Michigan with six field goals vs. Indiana (11/17/18); E.C. Robertson of Purdue owns the overall record with seven field goals on Oct. 27, 1900, vs. Rose Poly. With 20 points overall against Iowa, including two PATs, Kim also set a top scoring mark in modern-day Big Ten history by a kicker, bettering the 19 points by Moody in 2018 vs. Indiana.
Kim also made a game-winning 37-yard field goal with one second remaining to help MSU past Maryland, 27-24, on Sept. 7 in College Park. In addition, he hit a 50-yarder as time expired in the first half against the Terrapins.
Kim leads the Spartans in scoring with a total of 71 points through 10 games; in addition to his 18 field goals, he is 17-of-19 on point-after attempts.
An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media in 2023, Kim led the Spartans in scoring with 56 points (4.7 pg) in 2023 and was 13-of-18 (.722) on field goals and 17-of-17 on point-after attempts; he made four field goals of 50-plus yards, tied for third most in the FBS. He made a Kinnick Stadium record 58-yard field goal, a career long, last season at Iowa.
In his two-year Spartan career, Kim is 31-of-38 (.816) on field goals, including seven from 50-plus yards. Prior to transferring to MSU for the 2023 season, Kim spent four years at North Carolina (2019-22).
Semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award will be voted on by a panel of FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. The finalists will be announced on Nov. 26 and honored at the 33rd annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet on Dec. 9 in Palm Beach County. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 12.
The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL Championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 32 finalists, including 17 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home seven Super Bowls.
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