Brent Cimaglia Named to Lou Groza Award Watch List

Now the Volunteers are also earning national honors on special teams, as rising senior kicker Brent Cimaglia was named to the Lou Groza Award watch list on Wednesday morning.

As the “watch list season” continues to progress, Tennessee players are beginning to impress national analysts with the amount of attention they are getting. On Monday, linebacker Henry To’o To’o was named to the Butkus Award Watch List — an annual award given to the best linebacker in the nation. To’o To’o has also been named to the Bednarik and Nagurski watch lists; making him the only sophomore in the nation to be included in all three of the preseason honors. The Vols have also been given honors at the offensive line position, as both Cade Mays and Trey Smith were named to the Outland Trophy watch list on Tuesday morning.

Now the Volunteers are also earning national honors on special teams, as rising senior kicker Brent Cimaglia was named to the Lou Groza Award watch list on Wednesday morning. The award, which is named after world famous kicker Lou Groza, is awarded annually to the top place kicker in the nation. Cimaglia came close to winning the prestigious award last season, finishing as a semi-finalist, although the award was eventually presented to Georgia’s Rodrigo Blakenship.

The panel which selects the semifinalists for the award will announce their selection on November 10th, and then current NFL kickers will vote to choose the three finalists for the award of the nation’s top collegiate kicker. The NFL kickers will then vote again; announcing the winner on December 10th.

Cimaglia had an elite junior season last year, drilling 23 of his attempted 27 field goals. The Nashville native also made two field goals from greater than 50 yards — one from 51 yards out and another from 53. Several publications have named Cimaglia to their preseason All-SEC team, as most expect a top-notch season for the young kicker. If he does meet the tough expectations, he could find himself kicking on Sundays relatively soon.

“A 2019 Groza semifinalist, Cimaglia kicked more field goals in one season than any Tennessee kicker in over 30 years,” read a statement regarding the reasoning for Cimaglia’s name being included on the prestigious list. “His 17 makes from at least 30 yards out rank third among returning FBS kickers. He went 3-for-3 on field goals in three games, including both the season opener and the Gator Bowl, and topped those with a 4-for-4 performance against BYU.”

Cimaglia’s first game of his senior season is currently scheduled to begin on September 5th, when the Charlotte 49ers come to Knoxville. However, if the SEC decides to move towards a conference-only schedule similar to what the Big Ten and Pac-12 plan to do, then his first game would be against his arch rival to the south: the Florida Gators.