NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana redshirt senior kicker Kenneth Almendares was named the 2024 recipient of the
Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker.
The award was announced during Thursday night’s Home Depot College Football Awards.
Almendares is Louisiana and the Sun Belt’s first-ever Lou Groza Award winner and the first Ragin’ Cajuns student-athlete to earn a national college football award. He was selected over fellow finalists Alex Raynor of Kentucky and Ryan Fitzgerald of Florida State.
"It's a tremendous honor to be recognized as the Lou Groza Award recipient and I couldn't do it without my teammates and coaching staff," said Almendares. "The offense did their job in getting down the field and putting points up on the board. The defense was making stops, so at the end of the day, it's a team effort.
"It's a credit to the 10 wins that we have this year, making it to a (Sun Belt Conference) championship game and an appearance in a bowl game."
The national FBS leader in field goals made (27) and field goals made per game (2.08), Almendares was ninth in the country in field goal percentage converting on 27-of-29 attempts (.931).
On pace to become the third kicker since 2008 to lead the nation in field goals while maintaining 90 percent accuracy, Almendares was 25-for-25 on the season on field goals from under 50 yards, with his lone misses on the season coming on 53 and 60-yard attempts.
Almendares led the Sun Belt and ranked 11th nationally in points scored (127) and holds both the Louisiana and Sun Belt Conference career records for most field goals made (68). The Clute, Texas, native also holds program records for career scoring (362) and PATs (158), along with single-season records for field goals made and points scored.
He had nine games on the season with 10 or more points scored, including eight straight contests. Almendares set the Sun Belt record for most field goals made in a season (27), en route to First Team All-Sun Belt honors.
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.