Jose Borregales Becomes the First Hurricane to Win Lou Groza Award

Winning a national award is a huge milestone for any player, especially when you’re the first at your school to do it.

“It’s a tremendous honor for me,” Borregales told ESPN. “I put in a lot of work to be where I am today. I’m just happy it’s finally paying off.”

One of the most impressive areas within Miami’s program in 2020 was special teams. Borregales and punter Lou Hedley proved to be a dynamic kicking duo throughout the season, both of them coming to UM by way of the transfer portal.

Compare 2019 to 2020, and you’ll see a vast difference in Miami’s field goal kicking. In 2019, starting duties changed often, with a rotation of average-at-best kickers getting their chances. Head coach Manny Diaz knew how the lack of a solid kicking game affected the outcomes of contests.

“Jose Borregales has changed our football team… you look at some of our issues a year ago. Our inability to finish drive into points and to make easy layup field goals or PAT’s cost us wins, which cost us confidence.”

Jose did just that, converting 20 of 22 field-goal attempts, including a remarkable 57-yarder against Louisville.

While Borregales has already declared for the NFL draft, his younger brother, Andres Borregales, should be kicking for UM in 2021.

Here’s to the continued success of the Borregales-Miami connection.