NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A semifinalist last year, Vanderbilt’s Brock Taylor is once again a candidate for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award after the Palm Beach County Sports Commission revealed the watch list for the honor this fall on Friday.
In his first season competing at the collegiate level in 2024, he was chosen third-team All-SEC, to the SEC All-Freshman Team and to The Athletic’s national All-Freshman Team in addition to advancing to the semifinal ballot for the award given to the country’s top placekicker. Taylor was also named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week on two occasions a year ago, accomplishing the feat in back-to-back weeks following wins over No. 1 Alabama and Kentucky.
Taylor connected on 18-of-21 field-goal attempts and was 39-of-40 on extra-point tries to score a team-best 93 points, finishing the campaign second on the school’s season record list in both field goals and total scoring. He became the first individual in program history to make five field goals of 50 or more yards in a career—accomplishing the feat in the Commodores’ opening eight-game stretch of the season—while ending the year by converting each of his last 11 attempts.
The Knoxville, Tennessee, native also recorded a touchback on 25 of 44 kickoffs after assuming those duties midway through the season.
Taylor and the Dores are set to take on Charleston Southern in the 2025 opener at 6 p.m. on Aug. 30 at FirstBank Stadium. Individuals can find season ticket, mini-plan and single-game ticket information here.
