WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Georgia Southern junior place-kicker Tyler Bass is one of 30 players named to the Watch List for the 2018 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, as announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award goes to the nation's top collegiate kicker.

Bass had quite the season in 2017 as he took over for 2016 Lou Groza Award Finalist Younghoe Koo. Bass, from Irmo, South Carolina, made the Sun Belt's second-team after hitting 15 of 19 field goals on the season, with nine of them being 40 yards or longer. He kicked a season-long 48-yard field goal against Georgia State and had a 61-yard punt against South Alabama. Handling the kickoffs, he had 46 touchbacks on 54 kickoffs and he only missed one PAT on the season.

His nine field goals of 40-yards or longer were the second-most in a season behind only Tim Foley's 10 in 1985. He will now set his sights on moving up the school's all-time list for field goals of 40 yards or longer, which is 22 held by David Cool.

Bass is a consensus preseason All-Sun Belt selection this year as he heads into his junior season.

The Watch List highlights 30 of the best returning kickers in the country, including last year's winner in Utah's Matt Gay. The award committee will release a weekly "Stars of the Week" feature on www.lougrozaaward.com. All FBS kickers remain eligible to be selected as semifinalists.

Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Thursday, Nov. 1. From this list, a panel of more than 300 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award by Tuesday, Nov. 20.

That same group then selects the national winner, who will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 6 during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.

The 27th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes the three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet at West Palm Beach's Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 3.

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.

For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the "Stars of the Week" throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter.