CHICAGO, Ill.  --  The communications team from the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award has released their 2026 preseason watchlist featuring 39 kickers from NCAA Division I FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA. Missouri S&T's Layne Ryals (Louisburg, KS/Louisburg) is one of those 39 kickers featured, joining an elite group who have distinguished themselves through their performances on the field while also demonstrating leadership, service, and commitment to their communities.
 
The honor marks a return to the Fred Mitchell Award watchlist for Ryals, after he was named to the Midseason list last season after making his first 11 field goals of the season. Ryals earned two Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Special Teams Player of the Week awards last season after perfect performances to help beat Northeastern State and Southwest Baptist.
 
Ryals is one of 12 NCAA Division II kickers on the watchlist and one of two representatives from the GLVC, joining William Jewell's Bleu Renfrow.
 
About the Fred Mitchell Award
The namesake for the award, Fred Mitchell, was a longtime (1974-2015) award-winning sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune and the author of 12 sports books. Mitchell set the NCAA record for career kick-scoring at Wittenberg University in 1968 among "College Division" schools that are now classified as FCS, Division II and Division III.


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