Oklahoma fans celebrate Tate Sandell but agree he deserves even more

Oklahoma's Tate Sandell on Friday night won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football, and although Sooner Nation was extremely proud of Sandell, OU fans want a statue of Sandell wearing short shorts in Heisman Park.

Sandell became the first Sooner to ever win the award after a historical season that included setting or tying eight career or single-season school, conference, FBS or stadium records. He made 23 of 24 field-goal attempts this season and all 32 PATs.

Fans weren't so sure about Sandell after he transferred from UTSA and missed his first-ever attempt for the Sooners. He's made 23 in a row since, though, which is a school and SEC record. He's also won a few games for the Sooners along the way, and OU probably wouldn't be in the College Football Playoff without Sandell's leg, especially with his viral performance against Tennessee.

Sandell was responsible for 101 of OU's 317 points (32%) during the regular season. And that right there is why some have pointed to Sandell as the Sooners' most important player and even deemed him worthy of a Heisman Trophy, which he was snubbed as a finalist for.

Tate Sandell wins Lou Groza Award but fans are thinking Heisman Trophy

First off, a few saw all of this coming from Sandell, not just OU general manager Jim Nagy, who landed Sandell from the portal during the spring cycle.

What a season, though. And we all got to witness every kick.

Sandell is a redshirt junior, by the way, so has one year of eligibility left, unless the Las Vegas Raiders want to take him No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

And if Sandell does come back, OU fans are thinking more than just the Lou Groza Award since this year's Heisman Trophy campaign fell short.