South Florida Football's Gramatica Named to Lou Groza Award Watch List
August 07, 2026 | Football
TAMPA, FLA. (AUG. 7, 2026) – South Florida junior kicker Nico Gramatica has been named to the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Friday.
Gramatica is one of three American Conference players named to the 35-player watch list. The 35th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a banquet gala on December 7th in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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 and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954.
Gramatica earned Second Team American All-Conference honors last season, his first as the Bulls' starting kicker. He went 18-of-24 (75%) on field goal attempts, tying for the fourth-best field goal total in program history, and added 59-of-60 on extra point attempts, setting a program record with 59 PAT. Gramatica's 113 total points marked the second-best season total in program history. Among his field goals were a season-long 52-yarder in a win over No. 25 Boise State and a game-winning 20-yard field goal in a victory at No. 13 Florida.
South Florida opened practice for the 2026 season on Aug. 5. Under first-year head coach Brian Hartline, the Bulls return four starters from a team that went 9-4 last season and welcome 62 new players. South Florida opens its 30th season of football, and its last in Raymond James Stadium before moving to a new on-campus stadium, on Saturday, Sept. 5 vs. FIU in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
SOUTH FLORIDA 2026 NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LIST MEMBERS
Outland Trophy Caleb Cook, Graduate, Guard
Lou Groza Award Nico Gramatica, Junior, Kicker
Follow us:
For the latest updates from South Florida Athletics, visit GoUSFBulls.com. Follow South Florida Football on social media Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube.
Get Your Tickets Today!
Call 1-800-GO-BULLS (1-800-462-8557) or email BullsTickets@usf.edu to claim your season or single-game tickets. You can also download the South Florida Bulls app on the Android or Apple stores to purchase tickets and parking. Visit USFBullsTix.com for more information.
About South Florida Football
The South Florida football program first took the field in 1997 and will play its 30th season in 2026.
In 2025, the Bulls went 9-4, earned a third straight bowl appearance, made the program's first College Football Playoff ranking appearance, and were ranked four times in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll. South Florida completed construction on a new $22-million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023, and construction is in progress on $349-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke slated for completion by 2027.
The Bulls have posted 18 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), and 35 first-team all-conference honorees. South Florida has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, while the Bulls have made 13 bowl game appearances (going 8-5), tied for the third-most nationally in the first 25 seasons of a program's bowl eligibility. South Florida posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. The Bulls spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the AP rankings during the 2007 season.
Gramatica is one of three American Conference players named to the 35-player watch list. The 35th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a banquet gala on December 7th in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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 and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954.
Gramatica earned Second Team American All-Conference honors last season, his first as the Bulls' starting kicker. He went 18-of-24 (75%) on field goal attempts, tying for the fourth-best field goal total in program history, and added 59-of-60 on extra point attempts, setting a program record with 59 PAT. Gramatica's 113 total points marked the second-best season total in program history. Among his field goals were a season-long 52-yarder in a win over No. 25 Boise State and a game-winning 20-yard field goal in a victory at No. 13 Florida.
South Florida opened practice for the 2026 season on Aug. 5. Under first-year head coach Brian Hartline, the Bulls return four starters from a team that went 9-4 last season and welcome 62 new players. South Florida opens its 30th season of football, and its last in Raymond James Stadium before moving to a new on-campus stadium, on Saturday, Sept. 5 vs. FIU in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
SOUTH FLORIDA 2026 NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LIST MEMBERS
Outland Trophy Caleb Cook, Graduate, Guard
Lou Groza Award Nico Gramatica, Junior, Kicker
Follow us:
For the latest updates from South Florida Athletics, visit GoUSFBulls.com. Follow South Florida Football on social media Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube.
Get Your Tickets Today!
Call 1-800-GO-BULLS (1-800-462-8557) or email BullsTickets@usf.edu to claim your season or single-game tickets. You can also download the South Florida Bulls app on the Android or Apple stores to purchase tickets and parking. Visit USFBullsTix.com for more information.
About South Florida Football
The South Florida football program first took the field in 1997 and will play its 30th season in 2026.
In 2025, the Bulls went 9-4, earned a third straight bowl appearance, made the program's first College Football Playoff ranking appearance, and were ranked four times in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll. South Florida completed construction on a new $22-million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023, and construction is in progress on $349-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke slated for completion by 2027.
The Bulls have posted 18 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), and 35 first-team all-conference honorees. South Florida has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, while the Bulls have made 13 bowl game appearances (going 8-5), tied for the third-most nationally in the first 25 seasons of a program's bowl eligibility. South Florida posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. The Bulls spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the AP rankings during the 2007 season.
– #GoBulls –
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
K
/ FootballMonday, July 27
Friday, July 24
Friday, July 24
Friday, July 24
