Jaden Oberkrom Named to Lou Groza Award Watch List

From the desk of Mark Cohen:

TCU’s Jaden Oberkrom has been named to the watch list for the 2014 Lou Groza Award, presented to the nation’s top placekicker.

Oberkrom was 14-of-18 on field goals last season, including a 13-of-14 mark on attempts inside 50 yards. His career-best 56-yard field goal, which gave the Horned Frogs the lead at Kansas State with 2:13 to play, tied for the second-longest made kick in TCU history. It was just 1-yard shy of a school record and gave him two of the four-longest field goals all-time at TCU.

A junior from Arlington, Texas, Oberkrom had at least one field goal in 10 of 12 games. His streak of 12 consecutive games with a field goal, which had been third longest in the nation, came to an end in the Texas game. He closed the season in a tie for fourth among active players nationally with 1.4 field goals per game in his career.

Oberkrom was perfect on his 37 extra-point attempts, giving him a streak of 79 consecutive makes which ties the TCU career record and is third nationally among active placekickers.

An All-Big 12 selection last season, Oberkrom was also first-team Academic All-Big 12 and Capital One Academic All-District.

Oberkrom was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist as a true freshman in 2012.

Former TCU placekicker Michael Reeder was the 1995 recipient of the Lou Groza Award.

Of all the TCU players on watch lists, could we agree Oberkrom is the most likely (at this point) to actually bring home any hardware?