Oklahoma fans already knew it, and even prompted a Heisman Trophy campaign for him, but now it’s official that Tate Sandell is the best kicker in all of college football. Better yet, Sandell is the best kicker to ever don the crimson and cream.
Sandell on Friday evening during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN was announced as the winner of the Lou Groza Award, which goes to the best kicker in college football. He became the first Sooner to ever win the award in its 34-year history.
He beat out fellow finalists Aiden Birr of Georgia Tech and Hawaii's Kansei Matsuzawa to claim the award.
Tate Sandell named OU's first Lou Groza Award winner
OU’s first-ever Lou Groza Award Winner » @TateSandell1 🦿 pic.twitter.com/jBw2zRzcIV
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) December 13, 2025
This just adds to all the history Sandell, a redshirt junior, has made in his first season at OU after transferring from UTSA this past offseason. During this season, Sandell has set or tied eight career or single-season school, conference, FBS or stadium records.
Sandell has made 23 of 24 field-goal attempts this season and all 32 PATs. He actually made a bad first impression after missing his first field-goal attempt as a Sooner in Week 2, but has since made 23 in a row, which is a school and SEC record. Of his 23 makes, four were from 55 or more yards, which leads the country and is an OU career record that he set in just one season. He also shattered another OU single-season record with 15 field goals of 40-plus yards. The previous record was nine.
Against Tennessee, when all of college football first took notice of Sandell because of his “short shorts” and booming leg, he tied a school record with four field goals, and two were from 55 yards, which set the Neyland Stadium record twice. His three makes of 50-plus in that game tied an FBS record.
The historical season led to a week of honors for Sandell. He was also named SEC Special Teams Player of the Year earlier this week and also on Friday was named to the Walter Camp All-American Second Team, which seemed like a snub to every OU fan.
An argument for OU's greatest kicker could be made for Uwe von Schamann or Michael Hunnicutt as multi-year contributors, but none of their seasons touched what Sandell accomplished in 2025, and after Friday night, Sandell has the hardware to prove it.