Aleem Sunanon Named to Groza Watch List; South Alabama Basketball to Face NC State, LSU in Legends Classic

MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama placekicker Aleem Sunanon has been named to the watch list for the 2015 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, and the Jaguars’ men’s basketball team will face N.C. State and LSU in November as part of the Legends Classic.

Sunanon Lone Sun Belt Kicker on Groza List

Sunanon is one of 30 players on the Groza Award watch list and the only representative from the Sun Belt Conference.

The 5-foot-7, 170-pound junior has led South Alabama in scoring in each of the past two seasons. Last season he made 15 of 18 field goal attempts, including his final eight, and converted 24 of 26 extra points. His 83.3 percent success rate on field goals tied for 12th nationally and shared the Sun Belt lead, and his 1.15 field goals per game ranked third in the conference and 55th in the country. Phil Steele Publications named him second-team All-Sun Belt.

Sunanon scored a season-high 12 points twice, including a win over Georgia State in which he made three field goals and all three extra-point attempts. He tied a school record by going 4-for-4 on field goals at South Carolina.

Record-Setting Debut Season

As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Sunanon set a South Alabama single-season record with 91 points, making 18 of 23 field goals and 37 of 39 extra points, and earned honorable mention All-Sun Belt recognition. He led all Sun Belt kickers in points and field goals per game, ranked among the top 20 nationally in field goals per game and finished second among all conference players in scoring average. He made three field goals in a game four times that season and closed it with a school-record 12 consecutive field goals over the Jaguars’ final seven games.

In two seasons as South Alabama’s placekicker, Sunanon has set the program’s career record with 33 field goals, has made 80.5 percent of his attempts and ranks second on the school’s all-time scoring list with 160 points.

Award Timeline

The award is named for Lou “The Toe” Groza, a Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 5 and three finalists on Nov. 23. The winner will be announced Dec. 10 during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.

Men’s Basketball Set for Legends Classic

The Gazelle Group announced Thursday that South Alabama will play N.C. State on Nov. 15 and LSU on Nov. 19 as part of the Legends Classic. Game times will be announced later.

N.C. State and LSU are two of the event’s four regional hosts. The semifinals and final of the multi-team event are scheduled for Nov. 23 and 24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The game against N.C. State will be the first men’s basketball meeting between the Jaguars and the Wolfpack. N.C. State is coached by former Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried and went 22-14 last season, reaching the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

The LSU game will be the third meeting between the programs since 2010 and the second at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. South Alabama won the most recent meeting, 79-75 in overtime, in 2011.

South Alabama will also play in the Legends Classic subregional in Kennesaw, Ga., with IUPUI, Belmont and host Kennesaw State.