CORAL GABLES – It felt really good to be Jose Borregales last night (Jan. 7).
During the 30th annual Home Depot College Football Awards broadcast on ESPN, it seemed as if any of the three finalists could have won the Lou Groza Award – the others were Jake Oldroyd (BYU) and Will Reichard (Alabama). But when the moment revealed itself, it just felt right to find out that the Miami graduate senior kicker ultimately came away with the prestigious honor.
Borregales posted his thoughts about earning the 2020 Lou Groza Award on his Twitter account.
“Big thank you to all Lou Groza Award committee and voters,” Borregales said on his Twitter handle. “It is a tremendous honor and privilege to be named this year’s winner. Shout out to Will Reichard and Jake Oldroyd. You guys are the real deal and made this year a tough one to come out on top. Keep doing what you guys do.”
Borregales is the first Hurricanes kicker to win the Lou Groza Award, making history in the process.
Borregales has also been honored as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and The Sporting News.
Borregales, who is a Miami native and Booker T. Washington (Miami) alum, transferred from FIU to Miami in January 2020. He went on to post one the best seasons by a kicker in the ACC program’s history.
The All-ACC first team selection converted 20 of his 22 field goal attempts, posting a 90.9 percent accuracy rate in the process. That was tied for best in the nation among kickers with at least 20 attempts.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl selection connected on eight field goals from at least 40 yards out during the regular season, a mark that was tied for fourth most in the country. His best one was a 57-yarder that came as part of a 4-for-4 field goal, 17-point performance on the road against Louisville that earned him ACC Specialist of the Week honors.
Combined with his totals at FIU, Borregales finished his college football career second in the nation among active kickers with 70 career field goals.
SIDE NOTE: We have two Joses who have won the Lou Groza Award on the college football and high school football levels. On Monday (Jan. 4), it was announced that Glades Central (Belle Glade) senior kicker/punter Jose Garcia won the 2020 Lou Groza Award for the High School Placekicker of the Year.
PHOTO CREDITS: Lou Groza Award and ACC Football
