New UK kicker Alex Raynor named to Lou Groza Award Watch List

College football’s Watch List season rolls on, and today, Kentucky‘s own Alex Raynor is featured as a player to watch this upcoming season. It turns out the new kicker from Georgia Southern comes with high expectations.

A fifth-year senior, Raynor was named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List, celebrating the projected best kickers for 2023. Raynor is one of thirty placekickers on the preseason list, announced Wednesday by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.

Here is Groza’s entire 2023 preseason Watch List:

Kenneth Almendares, Louisiana

Bert Auburn, Texas

Colton Boomer, UCF

Andres Borregales, Miami (FL)

Jack Browning, San Diego State

Ryan Coe, North Carolina

Jonah Dalmas, Boise State

Matthew Dapore, Air Force

Jesus Gomez, Eastern Michigan

Diego Guajardo, South Alabama

John Hoyland, Wyoming

Mitch Jeter, South Carolina

Joshua Karty, Stanford

Griffin Kell, TCU

Seth Keller, Kansas

Tyler Loop, Arizona

Alex McNulty, Buffalo

Harrison Mevis, Missouri

Brayden Narveson, NC State

Camden Price, Temple

Alex Raynor, Kentucky

Will Reichard, Alabama

Ben Sauls, Pittsburgh

Matthew Shipley, Hawaii

Spencer Shrader, Notre Dame

Drew Stevens, Iowa

Brandon Talton, Nevada

James Turner, Michigan

Nathanial Vakos, Wisconsin

Dominic Zvada, Arkansas State

Raynor at Georgia Southern

At his last stop, Raynor appeared in 36 games for the Eagles with a career 76.3 field goal percentage, having made 45 of 59 field attempts. He also hit 110 of his 113 extra-point tries, while succeeding off the field as a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll selection.

Raynor arrived on campus in June and is an early favorite in Kentucky’s fall kicking competition for the starting job.