Oklahoma Kicker Tate Sandell Named Lou Groza Award Semifinalist – One of the Rarest Honors in College Football
NORMAN, Okla. – On a chilly Wednesday morning in Norman, Oklahoma sophomore kicker Tate Sandell received the kind of news that changes a young athlete’s life forever: he has been named one of the 20 semifinalists for the 2025 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, the most prestigious individual honor a kicker can earn in college football.
For a program that has produced All-Americans at nearly every position over the past quarter-century, Sandell’s selection stands out. Only three Oklahoma kickers have ever won the Groza outright (Michael Hunnicutt was a finalist in 2014, but no Sooner has claimed the palm tree trophy since its inception in 1992). Being named a semifinalist already places the 6-foot-2, 195-pound redshirt sophomore from Tulsa in extremely exclusive company.
“Tate’s been the most consistent performer on our entire football team this year,” head coach Brent Venables said Wednesday. “In a season where every game has felt like a one-score game, he’s been the guy we trust when the clock hits zero.”
The numbers back up the praise. Through eleven games, Sandell is a perfect 19-for-19 on field goals and 42-for-42 on extra points, giving him 61 consecutive makes dating back to last season – the longest active streak in FBS. His 19 field goals lead the nation, and his 100% accuracy is one of only two perfect marks among kickers with 15 or more attempts (the other belongs to Alabama’s Will Reichard, the 2023 Groza winner).
But statistics only tell half the story.
Sandell has drilled four game-winning kicks this season, including a 47-yarder as time expired to beat Texas 34-31 in the Red River Rivalry, a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter to stun Auburn 27-24, and a career-long 54-yarder with 1:07 remaining that lifted OU past Tennessee 30-27 in Knoxville – the longest field goal in Neyland Stadium history by a visitor.
That Tennessee kick was the moment the college football world truly took notice. With Oklahoma clinging to a one-point lead and facing fourth-and-12 from the Volunteers’ 37-yard line, Venables initially sent the punt team on the field. Sandell jogged over to the sideline, looked Venables in the eye, and said four words that have since become locker-room lore: “Coach, I got this.”
Venables trusted him. The 54-yarder split the uprights with room to spare. Bedlam in the visiting locker room ensued.
“Honestly, I blacked out a little bit,” Sandell laughed when asked about the kick this week. “I remember the snap, the hold was perfect – shout-out Zach Schmitz – and then the ball was in the air. Next thing I know, Drake Stoops is tackling me at the 30-yard line.”
The poise is remarkable for a 20-year-old in his first full season as the starter. Sandell redshirted in 2023 behind Zach Franklin and spent the entire year as the scout-team kicker, simulating opponents’ tendencies every week. Special teams coordinator Jay Boulware credits that year on the bench as the reason Sandell now treats 50-yarders like extra points.
“He watched every rep, charted every kick, and studied the great ones – Rodrigo Blankenship, Evan McPherson, guys who played big in big moments,” Boulware said. “When his opportunity came, he was more than ready.”
Off the field, Sandell remains the same laid-back Tulsa kid who grew up kicking soccer-style in his backyard with his older brother, Cole, now a professional golfer. He still drives the same 2014 Jeep Cherokee his parents bought him for high school graduation, still refuses to cut the mullet that has become a fan favorite, and still answers every question with a smile and a “yes sir/no sir.”
Yet the pressure is mounting. Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) controls its destiny to the conference championship game. A win over TCU this Saturday, followed by a victory against new conference foe Arizona in two weeks, would send the Sooners to Arlington with a chance at their 15th Big 12 title – and likely a spot in the 12-team playoff.
Every practice now ends with Sandell attempting a 60-yarder in front of the entire team. He’s made seven in a row.
“I want the moment,” Sandell said. “I’ve been preparing for it since I was eight years old kicking soccer balls over the swing set in my backyard. If the game comes down to me, I’m not going to be the reason we lose.”
The Groza Award will name three finalists on December 2, with the winner crowned December 11 at the Home Depot College Football Awards in Atlanta. Past semifinalists from Oklahoma include Hunnicutt (2014) and Gabe Brkic (2021), but none have advanced to the final three since the award began honoring kickers 33 years ago.
Sandell doesn’t seem fazed by the history he’s chasing.
“Winning the Groza would be incredible,” he said, pausing to choose his words carefully. “But I’d trade it in a heartbeat for a Big 12 ring and a playoff win. That’s why I came to Oklahoma.”
For now, the palm tree trophy will have to wait. There are still games to be won, one kick at a time – and in 2025, nobody in America is kicking them better than Tate Sandell.
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