WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- San Diego State senior John Baron has been named a semifinalist for the 2018 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl. Baron is one of 20 semifinalists for the prestigious award and the first Aztec to be a Lou Groza Award semifinalist multiple times (also 2016).
On the season, Baron is 14-for-16 on field goal attempts (.875) and 15-for-15 on PATs. Among the FBS kickers, Baron ranks in a tie for first in PAT percentage (1.000, T-1st in MW), 10th in field goals per game (1.75, 2nd in MW), a tie for 11th in field goal percentage (.875, 2nd in MW), 19th in touchback percentage (69.0, 2nd in MW), a tie for 29th in touchbacks (29, 3rd in MW) and 44th in kickoff average (62.9, 4th in MW).
Baron has a long of 54 yards, which ranks in a tie for second in school history and a tie for fifth in FBS. Additionally, the Temecula, Calif., native is one of just two FBS kickers this season with four field goals from 50-plus yards and the only one who has made all four attempts from 50-plus yards. A clutch kicker, Baron is 3-for-3 in field goal attempts when the score is within three points in the fourth quarter (2-for-2 from 50-plus). Earlier this season (Sept. 8-22), Baron had at least one 50-yard field goal in three consecutive games, which was tied for the third-longest streak since 1996, one shy of Florida State's Graham Gano (4 from Sept. 27-Oct. 25, 2008) and West Virginia's Josh Lambert (4 from Sept. 20-Oct. 18, 2014).
Baron has been named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week four times this season in eight chances.
For his career, Baron is 47-for-54 on field goal attempts and his .870 field goal percentage ranks sixth in NCAA FBS history. Among the active FBS kickers, Baron ranks first in field goal percentage (.870, min. 25 FG) and road field goal percentage (.917, min. 25 FGM), tied for 10th in field goals (47), 12th in field goals per game (1.34), and 13th in points (264) (15th in points regardless of position). Among the all-time Aztec kickers, Baron is second in field goal percentage (.870), third in PATs (123) and points (264) (sixth overall in scoring), and fourth in field goals (47) and PAT percentage (.984). For his career, Baron is 4-for-4 in field goal attempts when the score is within three points in the fourth quarter (2-for-2 from 50-plus). Additionally, Baron has never missed a field goal in an Aztec loss.
The three finalists for the award will be selected from a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, sports information directors, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers. The finalists well be announced on Nov. 20 and honored at the 27th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet Dec. 3 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The winner will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 6.
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 setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. 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.
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 26 finalists, including 14 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 10 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home seven Super Bowls.
San Diego State (6-2, 3-1 Mountain West), which is receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 poll and the Amway Coaches poll, travels to play at New Mexico (3-5, 1-3 MW) at 8:15 p.m. MT (7:15 p.m. PT) Saturday.
John Baron II Named a Lou Groza Award Semifinalist
