Aug 31, 2024; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; UCLA Bruins place kicker Mateen Bhaghani (94) makes a field goal against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game against the UCLA Bruins at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

UCLA's Mateen Bhaghani Primed For Big Season

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Scott Salomon | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 11:30 AM ET

Mateen Bhaghani, place kicker for the UCLA Bruins football team, has been named to the watch list for the 2025 Lou Groza College Place Kicker Award. The announcement was made Friday by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission and the UCLA Athletic Department.

The Groza Award recognizes the top place-kicker in college football on an annual basis.

The junior becomes the first Bruins kicker to appear on the Groza Watch List since JJ Molson in 2018. Two former Bruins have won the Lou Groza Award. Ka'imi Fairbairn took top honors in 2015, while Kai Forbath won the award in 2009.

Bhaghani enters his second season as UCLA's starting kicker in 2025.

Last season, Bhaghani connected on 20-of-24 field goal attempts (83.3%) while making all 20 of his PAT attempts. His 20 field goals made led the Big Ten Conference at the conclusion of the regular season.

He also connected on a 57-yard attempt against Iowa on Nov. 7 that was the longest by a Big Ten kicker in 2024 and ranked second all-time in UCLA history (trailing only Fairbairn's 60-yard effort against California in 2015).

Bhaghani nailed down the starting job after a tremendous game in the season-opener at Hawai'i in 2024, as he went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts including a 32-yard game-winner in the final minute. As a result of his efforts, Bhaghani was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.

He went on to make multiple field goals in eight games over the course of the season, including each of the Bruins' final five contests.

Just 30 kickers nationwide are named to the Groza Award Watch List. A total of 20 semifinalists will be named by the Groza Committee on Nov. 18, with three finalists named a week later on Nov. 25. The winner will be announced Dec. 12 during the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.

The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.

The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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