Aug. 12, 2009
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – University of Notre Dame junior kicker Brandon Walker was one of 30 players selected to the 2009 Lou Groza Award watch list, presented each year to college football’s best place kicker.
Notre Dame’s first left-footed kicker since Harry Oliver in 1981, Walker has improved throughout his collegiate career and enters 2009 having converted 13 of his last 17 field goal attempts. Walker has made 20 of 36 field goals in his career and 61 of 62 point-after touchdowns. He enters 2009 having made 58 straight PATs, the fifth-best total in Notre Dame history. Walker currently ranks second in career PAT percentage at Notre Dame.
In 2008, Walker overcame a sluggish start to the season and made 13 of 17 kicks to end the year and 14 of 24 attempts for the entire season. He converted all 39 PATs en route to leading the Irish with 81 points. Walker made a career-best four field goals vs. Pittsburgh and seven PATs vs. Hawaii in 2008.
More than 300 media representatives, coaches, past recipients, conference and university officials make up the voting panel which selects the recipient of the Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicking Award. The Award will be presented on Dec. 10, 2009, as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards program. The three finalists will be honored at the 18th annual Lou Groza Award Banquet to be held at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
2009 Preseason Lou Groza Award Watch List
Josh Arauco, Sr., Arkansas State
James Aho, So. New Mexico
Matt Bosher, Jr. Miami (Fla.)
Kyle Brotzman, Jr., Boise State
Josh Czajkowski, Jr., NC State
Ross Evans, So. , TCU
Clark Fangmeier, Sr., Rice
Kai Forbath, Jr., UCLA
Sam Glusman, Sr., Troy
Kevin Goessling, So., Fresno State
Ben Hartman, Sr., East Carolina
Alex Henery, Jr., Nebraska
Hunter Lawrence, Sr., Texas
Daniel Lincoln, Jr., Tennessee
Nick Maggio, Jr., Duke
Aaron Pettrey, Sr., Ohio State
Jonathan Phillips, Sr., Florida
Jake Rogers, Jr., Cincinnati
Mike Salerno, Sr., Northern Illinois
Joshua Shene, Sr., Ole Miss
Alex Steigerwald, Sr., Toledo
Jimmy Stevens, So., Oklahoma
Brett Swenson, Sr., Michigan State
Dave Teggart, So., Connecticut
Leigh Tiffin, Sr., Alabama
Brandon Walker, Jr., Notre Dame
Blair Walsh, So., Georgia
Thomas Weber, Jr. Arizona State
Philip Welch, Jr., Wisconsin
Carson Wiggs, So., Purdue
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