Ruiz, a junior product out of neighboring Gilbert, Ariz., has been a sure-fire kicker for the maroon and gold in his two seasons at the position. Following in the footsteps of the Sun Devils' last Groza Award winner, Ruiz has been true on 92 consecutive PAT attempts, adding 37 made field goals through his two seasons at ASU, good for eighth in Sun Devil career history. Last season, Ruiz tied for 16th nationally with 18 made field goals on the season on 18-of-22 kicking, and a perfect 45-for-45 on extra point attempts.
The Award, now in its 28th season, 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 Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes the three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet at West Palm Beach's Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on December 9th.
Turk, a redshirt-sophomore from Dallas, was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List prior to his first season as a Sun Devil. During his freshman season at Lafayette College, Turk made an immediate impact as the team's punter, setting a single-season record for punting average with 42.7 yards per attempt, earning him All-Patriot League Second-Team honors. Turk punted 67 times with 16 efforts of 50-plus yards, while landing 18 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
The Ray Guy Award winner is selected by a voting body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, national media and former Ray Guy Award winners. Punters are evaluated on their overall statistics and contribution to the team. Particular emphasis is placed on the following statistics; net average, percentage of total punts inside the 20-yard line, percentage of punts not returned, number of punts and gross average.