Bobby Petrino, John Wallace, Tobijah Hughley, Nick Dawson-Brents 2015 Louisville Spring Game 4-17-2015 Photo by Adam Creech Fitted

Football Notebook: 7/9

Mark BlankenbakerJuly 9, 2015

John Wallace Named to Lou Groza Award Watch List

University of Louisville placekicker John Wallace is one of 30 student-athletes named to the 2015 Lou Groza Award preseason watch list as announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission on Thursday morning.

The award, presented to the nation’s best placekicker, 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. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.

Wallace has established himself as one of the nation’s best kickers in college football following three-straight phenomenal seasons, converting on 51-of-64 field goal attempts during his tenure. He has converted 79.7 of his attempts, which ranks second all-time in school history.

A product of Cecila, Ky., Wallace ranked ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goals made at 1.15 per game last year, converting on 15-of-19 attempts. Wallace was also seventh in the league in scoring with a 7.3 per game average, scoring a team-best 95 points on 15-of-19 field goals attempts and a perfect 50-of-50 on points-after-touchdown.

In 2013, Wallace converted career-best 20-of-24 field goal attempts, which was one field goal short of tying Art Carmody’s school record of 21 fields made in a season.

As a freshman in 2012, Wallace emerged as the kicker of the future by connecting on 16-of-21 attempts, including a perfect 7-for-7 on attempts between 30-39 yards.

For his career, Wallace has tallied 293 points, which ranks third all-time, and needs nine more field goals to tie Art Carmody’s school record for field goals in a career with 60. He owns the sixth-longest field goal in school history when he booted a 51-yard field goal in a win over Syracuse last season.
Kickers on the Lou Groza Award Watch List were chosen based on statistics from the 2014 season and 2015 expectations. While the watch list highlights 30 of the best returning kickers in the country, all FBS kickers are eligible for this year’s award. The Groza Committee will be watching all FBS kickers during the season, and releasing a weekly “Stars of the Week” feature onwww.lougrozaaward.com.

Semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award will be announced November 5, 2015, while the three finalists will be unveiled November 23, 2015. The winner of the 2015 Lou Groza Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 10, 2015.

The 24th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl Committee, recognizes the three finalists during an early week celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on December 7th, 2015, prior to joining ESPN in Atlanta.

Beginning in 2015, The Home Depot College Football Awards will have a new home at the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta. Airing live on ESPN on December 10, 2015, college football’s brightest stars will be honored for their performance on and off the field.

Jarrod Barnes Transfers to Ohio State

Louisville Safety Jarrod Barnes recently announced that he is leaving the Louisville Football program and will play his final 2 years at Ohio State. Barnes graduated this Spring and was listed #2 behind Josh Harvey-Clemons at Safety during 2015 Spring practice. Jarrod actually was in the mix several occasions during Spring Drills and looked like a player that could definitely make an impact. Barnes played in 22 games as a Cardinal and graduated with a 3.89 GPA.

Jarrod now moves closer to his home of Westerville, OH and will play football with the Buckeyes and work on his graduate degree with his final 2 years of eligibility. We wish him well.

*Below Jarrod’s Instagram post announcing his transfer is a highlight of his Spring at UofL.*

After much thought and prayer I have decided to leave the University of Louisville Football program and transfer to The Ohio State University as a Graduate student-athlete. I want to sincerely thank all of my friends, teammates and coaches for supporting me throughout my career at Louisville. I would not be where I am today without you. I am excited to officially be a part of the Ohio State football family and proud to be a buckeye! #gobucks

A photo posted by Jarrod Barnes (@jarrodbarnes_) on Jul 2, 2015 at 10:35am PDT