The Fred Mitchell Award recognizes 35 placekickers for their excellence on the football field throughout the 2024 season and for their off-field contributions throughout the year.

The Fred Mitchell Award will recognize kickers that were nominated by their schools or are at the top of their division for terrific performances through Nov. 22, 2025 (regular season statistics only). The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in December based on performance on the football field and in the community.

The namesake for the award, Fred Mitchell, was a longtime (1974-2015) award-winning sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune and the author of 12 sports books. Mitchell set the NCAA record for career kick-scoring at Wittenberg University in 1968 among “College Division” schools that are now classified as FCS, Division II and Division III.

“The 2025 Fred Mitchell Award Preseason Watch List includes excellent kickers and community-minded individuals from over 750 non-FBS colleges in America,” said Mitchell. “Our 37-man Selection Committee looks forward to monitoring the seasons of these kickers, as well as those whose names might not appear on this list and yet deserve the utmost attention. Many thanks to FMA co-chairmen Matt Cotiguala and Rob Perry for their efforts in crafting this list. Over the past 15 years, several kickers from the Preseason Watch List wound up kicking professionally. Best of luck to all kickers in the 2025 season!”

The breakdown of the 35 place-kickers is as follows:

  • 10 returning list members
  • 3 previous list members transferred to FBS programs
  • Collegiate Division – 15 FCS, 9 Division II, 7 Division III, 3 NAIA, and 1 3C2A
  • Year – 16 seniors, 13 juniors, 6 sophomores

    In alphabetical order, the Fred Mitchell Award Preseason nominees for the 2025 season are listed below:

    Mathew Bacik – Sophomore
    Grand Valley State University – DII

    Jack Barnum – Senior Central
    Villanova University – FCS

    Christopher Baldazo – Senior
    Arkansas Tech University – DII

    Riley Callaghan – Senior
    Old Dominion University – FCS

    Christian Casillas – Junior
    Saint Xavier University – NAIA

    Antonio Chadha – Junior
    Western Illinois University – FCS

    Landon Eaker – Senior
    LaGrange College – DIII

    Braxtyn Green – Junior
    North Carolina Wesleyan College – DIII

    Reice Griffith – Junior
    Mercer University – FCS

    Elijah Guyton – Senior
    University of West Alabama – DII

    Tyler Huettel – Senior
    University of Wisconsin-Stout – DIII

    Thien Hoang  – Sophomore
    Weber State University – FCS

    Dieter Kelly – Sophomore
    College of the Canyons – 3C2A

    Enda Kirby – Senior
    Stony Brook University – FCS

    Will Leyand – Senior
    South Dakota University – FCS

    Job Matossian – Senior
    University of the Cumberlands – NAIA

    Brett Money – Junior
    Aurora University – DIII

    Ty Morrison – Senior
    Montana University – FCS

    Brad Paxton – Sophomore
    Johns Hopkins University – DIII

    Brack Peacock – Junior
    University of the Incarnate Word – FCS

    Cameron Pope – Senior
    Idaho University – FCS

    Hunter Ridley – Senior
    University of California, Davis – FCS

    AJ Rhodes – Senior
    Ashland University – DII

    Ben Rudolph – Sophomore
    Tiffin University – DII

    Lorcan Ryans – Junior
    Tuskegee University – DII

    Myles Sansted – Sophomore
    Montana State University – FCS

    Seth Simpson – Senior
    Baker University – NAIA

    Tyler Simpson – Junior
    Shorter University – DII

    Matthew Swink – Junior
    Carroll University – DIII

    Kameron Van Prooyen – Junior
    Southern Nazarene University – DII

    Luke Vogeler – Junior
    Colgate University – FCS

    Mathias Uribe – Senior
    Portland State University – FCS

    Jason Zapata – Junior
    Livingstone College – DII

    Alan Zhao – Junior
    Cornell University – FCS