Graham Nicholson named 2023 Lou Groza Award winner

One of the more notable special teams awards during Friday night’s College Football Awards show on ESPN was the 2023 Lou Groza Award. That goes to the best kicker in the game, and there were some big performances this year.

But one stood out above the rest as Alabama’s Will Reichard went up against UNLV’s Jose Pizano and Miami (Ohio)’s Graham Nicholson. Ultimately, Nicholson won out.

Nicholson was nearly perfect for Miami (Ohio) this year, making 26 of 27 field goal attempts. That led the nation for kickers with more than 20 attempts, and it earned him All-American team honors from CBS Sports.

Nicholson was the epitome of consistency for the Redhawks this year, and he also had 113 punts to showcase his special teams versatility. His 26 made field goals also ranked second in the nation behind Texas’ Bert Auburn. In fact, his only miss came in the MAC Championship.

How long will he think about that?

“Until the day I die,” Nicholson said during the awards show. “For sure.”

Nicholson had some tough competition for the Lou Groza Award. He was up against Reichard, who became the NCAA’s all-time points leader during the SEC Championship. He only missed 16 field goals out of 96 attempts during his college career. This year, he’s a cool 20-for-23, and has made all of his extra point attempts over the last two years.

Pizano — in his first year at UNLV — also had a big year, making 25 of his 27 field goal attempts to finish fourth in the nation in made field goals.

It was extra special for Nicholson, who didn’t start playing football until he was in high school. Instead, he was a basketball player. When asked by ESPN’s Jen Lada about what his younger self would say, he summed up how much it means to win the award.

“I really think he would be proud,” Graham Nicholson said. “This is everything I’ve been working for, so this feels amazing.”

Nick Saban has compared kickers to golfers. They can’t get too caught up in the last miss and have to keep their minds in the right space. Nicholson shed some light on his mindset and how he was able to have so much success this year.

“The season is long and it’s really hard to think of everything when it’s stacked and it’s more than just one kick at a time,” Nicholson said. “So when I can take them one kick at a time, it simplifies it and makes it easier for me to attack that.”