Fred Mitchell Award celebrates placekickers for excellence – 2024 Kickoff Watch List
The Fred Mitchell Award recognizes 61 placekickers for their excellence on the football field throughout the 2024 season and for their off-field contributions throughout the year. We’re excited to help celebrate their achievements as shared by their schools and coaches.
The Fred Mitchell Award will recognize kickers that were nominated by their schools or are at the top of their division for terrific performances through November 23, 2024 (regular season statistics only). The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in mid-December based on performance on the football field and in the community.
“The Kickoff Watch List for the 2024 Fred Mitchell Award includes exceptional kickers with exemplary community service records,” Mitchell said. “I am eager to watch kickers from all the eligible non-FBS colleges prove that great kickers come from all divisions of college football. Good luck to all.”
Each month our 37-person committee, led by co-chairmen Rob Perry and Matt Cotiguala, will recognize performances by kickers leading up to the end of the season when Top 10 finalists will be announced and then the winner in early December. The winner will receive the Fred Mitchell Award trophy in February during a ceremony at the Chicago Bears training facility in Lake Forest, Ill.
The breakdown of the 61 placekickers is as follows:
- 11 returning list members
- 2 previous list members transferred to FBS programs
- Collegiate Division – 14 FCS, 18 Division II, 19 Division III, 6 NAIA, 3 NJCAA, and 1 3C2A
- Year – 6 graduate students, 22 seniors, 21 juniors, 9 sophomores, and 2 freshman
In alphabetical order, the Fred Mitchell Award Preseason nominees for the 2024 season are listed below:
SEBASTIAN AMORRORTU – Junior
Minnesota State University Moorhead – DII
CHRISTOPHER BALDAZO – Sophomore
Kilgore Junior College (Texas) – National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
MIKE BALOGA
SUNY Cortland – DIII
ANTHONY BEITKO – Senior
California University (Pa.) – NCAA Division II (DII)
GERRIT BLODGETT – Junior
Texas Wesleyan University – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
MACK BOEKHOUT – Junior
Peru State College (Neb.) – NAIA
DANIEL BURGOS – Senior
California Lutheran University – NCAA Division III (DIII)
TRACE BUTCHER – Junior
Emory & Henry College (Va.) – DII
MASON CAMPBELL
Bentley University (Massachusetts) – D-II
CHRIS CAMPOS
Stephen F Austin University – FCS
JUSTIN CAPUTO – Junior
Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) – DIII
JOTHEM CASEY – Junior
Bowdoin College (Maine) – DIII
CHRISTIAN CASILLAS – Sophomore
College of DuPage (Ill.) – NJCAA
NICO CAVANILLAS – Sophomore
Keiser University (Fla.) – NAIA
CHRISTIAN COLASURDO
Susquehanna University – DIII
CURTIS COX – Graduate Student
University of Minnesota – Duluth – DII
GRIFFIN CROSA – Graduate Student
North Dakota State University – Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
SETH DEATON – Senior
Ferrum College (Va.) – DIII
ZACH DENNIE
Northeast Mississippi Community College – NJCAA
SHANE DUNNING – Senior
Drake University (Iowa) – FCS
HUNTER DUSTMAN – Senior
South Dakota State University – FCS
OWEN FORSYTHE – Junior
Gustavus Adolphus College (Mn.) – DIII
ETHAN GETTMAN – Graduate Student
Villanova University (Pa.) – FCS
BRANDON GIELOW – Senior
Davenport University (Mich.) – DII
NOAH GUASTELLA – Graduate Student
Northwest Missouri State University – FCS
NICK HERBER – Senior
Delta State – DII
THIEN HOANG – Sophomore
Lewis and Clark College (Ore.) – DIII
MATTHEW JAEGER – Junior
Minnesota State University Mankato – DII
SATCHEL JOHNSON – Freshman
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – DIII
MATTHEW JUMES – Senior
Trinity College (Conn.) – DIII
BRADLEY LARSON – Senior
Angelo State University (Texas) – FCS
ANDREW LASTOVKA – Junior
Youngstown State University (Ohio) – FCS
WILL LEYLAND – Junior
University of South Dakota – FCS
LEO MARINI – Senior
Wayland Baptist University (Texas) – NAIA
LIAM McCARTHY – Graduate Student
Benedictine University (Ill.) – DIII
TRENT McDOWELL
Millersville University (Pa.) – DII
TOBY McTAMNEY
Illinois College – DIII
JOHN MEARS
Montana Western University – NAIA
MARCUS MERKELBACH
Carleton College (Minn.) – DIII
GRIFFIN MILOVANSKI
Wayne State University (Mich.) – DII
MATT MIRTON – Sophomore
San Jose City College (Calif.) – California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A)
BRADY MYERS
Virginia Union University – DII
BRETT MONEY – Junior
Northwestern State University (La.) – FCS
ALEJANDRO MORILLON-GARCIA – Sophomore
Johnson C. Smith University (N.C.) – DII
RYAN PATTISON – Senior
Widener University (Pa.) – DIII
KYLE REHBERG – Senior
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) – DII
JOAQUIN RODRIGUEZ
Texas Lutheran University – DIII
AUSTIN SCHMITT – Sophomore
Pittsburgh State University (Pa.) – DII
GABRIEL SHOWALTER – Junior
Nicholls State University (La.) – FCS
DAMIEN SILUS – Senior
Concordia College Moorhead (Mn.) – DIII
SETH SIMPSON – Sophomore
Baker University (Kan.) – NAIA
MICHAEL STACK – Junior
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse – DIII
LOGAN SUNVOLD – Fifth Year Senior
Central College (Iowa) – DIII
KYLE THOMPSON – Senior
Weber State University (Utah) – FCS
LOGAN TURNER – Senior
Southwest Baptist University (Mo.) – DII
KEEGAN VAUGHAN – Senior
Towson University (Md.) – FCS
IAN WAGNER – Junior
Illinois State University – FCS
NATHAN WANGENSTEEN – Junior
Augsburg University (Mn.) – DII
TOBIAS WEFERING – Senior
Hobart College (N.Y.) – DIII
BRITTON WILLIAMS – Junior
Kennesaw State University (Ga.) – FCS
DREW WYBLE – Senior Michigan Technological University – DII
