OU football kicker Tate Sandell reflects on 'blessing' of season
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
NORMAN — When Tate Sandell transferred to OU from UTSA this past offseason, he couldn’t have imagined his season would go this way.
Not only is Sandell 23 of 24 on field goal tries this season and made each of his last 23 for a school and single-season SEC record, but he’s preparing to kick in the College Football Playoff.
“It’s what me in eighth grade dreamed of, and high school,” Sandell said Wednesday following practice. “These are all the things you think about when you’re laying in bed, ‘This is really happening.’ This is something we’ve worked for. It’s just a blessing.”
Furthermore, Sandell was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year on Wednesday. He became the Sooners’ first SEC individual award winner and the program’s first conference special teams player of the year since kicker Austin Seibert won the Big 12 award in 2018.
He was responsible for 26 of OU’s 56 points (46%) in November road wins over Tennessee and Alabama, and for 36 of the Sooners’ 90 points over their four November victories.
“It’s great. This is the fruits of our labor. It’s not just a me thing, it’s a we thing,” Sandell said. “This is something our unit has worked tremendously hard on.”
It isn’t just about Sandell’s accuracy either. He’s gained a reputation nationally for his leg.
Sandell is 7 for 7 on field goals of 50-plus yards (only one other player has made as many as five) and 10 for 10 on field goals of 45-plus yards.
He compares kicking long field goals to golf.
“My swing is my swing,” Sandell said. “I’m not going to try to be somebody I’m not, I’m not going to swing out of my shoes. I’m going to give myself the best opportunity to make the kick as possible. If it goes in, great. If not, it is what it is.”
Sandell is one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, which recognizes the nation’s best place-kickers annually.
But he’s not focused on any accolades; his sights are set on next Friday’s first-round College Football Playoff game against Alabama.
“That’d be great,” said Sandell when asked how it’d feel to win the Lou Groza Award. “But, it’s not in my hands. It’s not what I set out to win this season.
“It’s just about winning games and making kicks, that’s just a byproduct of our work. If that happens, that’s great.”
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
OU vs. Alabama
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman (ABC/ESPN)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football kicker Tate Sandell reflects on ‘blessing’ of season
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos