Gators K Patrick Durkin Placed on Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Preseason accolades continue to come in for the Florida Gators, this time with kicker Patrick Durkin being named to The Lou Groza Award preseason watch list, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced on Friday.

The award is given annually to the best placekicker in college football. 20 semifinalists will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17, before three finalists are announced a week later. The winner, chosen by a panel of over 100 FBS coaches, SIDs, media members, former award finalists and current NFL kickers who also chose the finalists, will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 10 during the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.

Patrick Durkin → Lou Groza Watch List 🐊 @PatrickDurkin24 | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/fnW3HEdu1b
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 7, 2026

Durkin enters his first season at Florida after two seasons at Tulane, where he played under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall and, for a season, first-year special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante. After playing in just five games in 2024, Durkin broke out in 2025 by making 25 of his 28 field goal attempts (89.29 percent) and 41 of his 42 extra point attempts.

He was named the American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year at the end of the season. Additionally, his 89.29 percent field goal accuracy is the second highest nationally among returning kickers who made at least 20 field goals, and his 25 makes are the second-most nationally among all returning kickers.

Durkin transferred to Florida this offseason and is tasked with replacing multi-year starter Trey Smack, who was taken in the Sixth Round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Galante on Tuesday praised Durkin for his ability to smoothly transition from Tulane to Florida this offseason.

"He’s just getting comfortable and had a great season last year," Galante said on Tuesday. "He transitions now to a whole new town, a whole new city, a whole new environment, higher level. And he did well. He finished better than he started spring ball and in the position he’s in right now, I’m very excited where he’s at.

"He’s still got work to do. He’s still a young player, but, good and bad, he started really well in the spring and he missed a late one, and more of that was my fault not having him ready. But we can learn from that be ready to play in The Swamp this fall.”

Should Durkin ultimately win the Lou Groza Award, he would be the second winner in program history, joining Judd Davis (1993). He also joins running back Jadan Baugh (Maxwell Award) and center Harrison Moore (Rimington Trophy) as Gators on preseason watch lists for national awards.

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