Texas kicker Gianni Spetic brings a big leg to Austin after drilling four field goals from 50-plus yards last season and earning Groza recognition.
Texas may have found a serious weapon hiding in plain sight.
Longhorns senior kicker Gianni Spetic has been named to the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award, putting the Texas football newcomer among 35 kickers being monitored for the honor given to college football’s best placekicker.
Spetic arrived in Austin this spring after transferring from Memphis, and his resume suggests Texas didn’t simply add another specialist. The Longhorns added legitimate range.
During the 2025 season at Memphis, Spetic connected on 15 of 20 field-goal attempts while going a perfect 49-for-49 on extra points.
He finished the year with a career-best 94 points and showed the kind of deep-ball ability that can change how an offense approaches fourth down.
Spetic made four of five attempts from 50 yards or longer, including a season-long 55-yarder. He was also 5-for-6 between 30 and 39 yards and perfect on all three attempts from inside 30.
That kind of leg could become especially valuable for Texas in close games.
Spetic has already appeared in 39 career games after spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Ohio before moving to Memphis in 2025.
The Chardon, Ohio, native earned American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors last October after converting all six of his extra points and drilling a 50-yard field goal during a Memphis victory over Tulsa.
Now he's stepping onto a much bigger stage.
Texas has developed a recent run of Lou Groza Award watch-list recognition. Mason Shipley earned a spot in 2025, while Bert Auburn received preseason recognition in both 2023 and 2024.
Spetic will have the chance to extend that tradition while playing for a Longhorns team carrying major expectations into the 2026 season.
The Lou Groza Award will trim its field to 20 semifinalists on Nov. 17 before announcing three finalists one week later. The winner will be revealed Dec. 10 during ESPN’s College Football Awards Show.
Before any of that happens, Spetic has to win games with his right leg.
His first opportunity comes Sept. 5 when Texas opens the 2026 season against Texas State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
If the Longhorns find themselves staring at fourth down near midfield this fall, they may have considerably more options than opponents would like.
