WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Fresno State sophomore kicker Dylan Lynch has been unveiled by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, an award given to to college football's top place-kicker.
The Bakersfield, Calif. native is one of 20 semifinalists. The finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 28. Lynch is one of three kickers from the Mountain West to be named a semifinalist, joining UNLV's Jose Pizano and Hawai'i's Matthew Shipley.
Lynch is 18-of-23 in his field goals this season, hitting at a 78 percent clip. He currently is riding a seven-consecutive made field goal streak, dating back to Oct. 7 at Wyoming. This season, he has kicked two field goals of 50 or more yards including a career-long 52-yarder in the season opener at Purdue (Sept. 2).
Lynch became the first Bulldog to hit a 50-yard field goal since 2017, and is the first Bulldog to kick multiple 50+ yarders in season since Kevin Goessling in 2010.
The second-year Bulldog also handles kickoff duties, totaling 60 kickoffs for 3,717 yards on the year, including 29 touchbacks.
Fresno State has had a kicker recognized as a semifinalist by the Lou Groza Award for the first time since Kody Kroening in 2016. Additional Bulldog semifinalists for the award since 2001 include Kevin Goessling, Clint Stitser, and Asen Asparuhov.
Semifinalists will be voted on by a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on November 28th and honored at the 32nd annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 4th in Palm Beach County. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN during the Home Depot College Football Awards on Friday, December 8th.