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Miami Hurricanes K Borregales, P Hedley finalists for National Awards

Excellence in performance rewarded.

Miami v Louisville
Just 2 special teams awards finalists doing their thing.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

On Tuesday morning, Miami Hurricanes K Jose Borregales and P Louis Hedley were named finalists for the Lou Groza Award and Ray Guy Award, respectively.

Here’s a bit about Borregales being named a Groza Finalist, from Miami Athletics:

Borregales, a senior from Miami, transferred to the Hurricanes in January 2020 and posted one the best years in program history. At 18-for-20 on field goals, his 90% accuracy rate is tied for the best in the nation among kickers with at least 20 attempts.

An All-ACC first-team selection, Borregales connected on eight field goals from at least 40 yards out, tied for fourth-most in the country. The list includes a 57-yard boot that came as part of a 4-for-4 FG, 17-point performance on the road against Louisville. Combined with his totals at FIU, Borregales is third in the nation among active kickers with 68 career field goals.

Joining Borregales as finalists for the Lou Groza Award presented by the Orange Bowl are Jake Oldroyd of BYU and Will Reichard of Alabama.

This year, fans can have their part in naming the winner of the Lou Groza Award. Fans can visit www.lougrozaaward.com and cast a vote for their favorite of the three finalists selected by the national panel of voters. The finalist who receives the greatest total of fan votes will be given one vote on the final ballot. One vote can make a difference in the final outcome, so fans are encouraged to participate.

And here’s some narrative on Hedley being a Guy Finalist, again from Miami Athletics:

A second-team All-ACC selection, Hedley delivered one of best seasons ever by a Miami punter in 2020. In his second season as UM’s starter, Hedley helped guide the Hurricanes to an FBS-leading net punting average during the regular season (44.98).

The Mandurah, Australia, native was named ACC Specialist of the Week twice and ranked second in FBS in regular season in punting (47.3 yards per punt). Hedley saw action in all 10 games and averaged 47.3 yards per punt. His long punt this season was 60 yards, and he had 19 punts of 50-or-more yards in a standout campaign.

Joining Hedley as finalists for the Ray Guy Award are Jake Camarda of Georgia and Pressly Harvin of Georgia Tech. The finalists were chosen from a field of 10 semifinalists by the Ray Guy Award national voting body, which consists of FBS sports information directors, sportswriters and previous Ray Guy Award winners.

As stated above, Borregales also earned 1st Team All-ACC recognition, while Hedley was named 2nd Team All-ACC for their excellence on the field this season. This is a massive step forward for Miami’s specialists, who in the recent past were a major liability for the Canes. Now, both the kicker and punter are finalists for National Awards.

My, what a difference a year (or two) makes.

Congrats to Jose and Lou. Be sure you vote for them to win their awards!

Go Canes