ESPN's GatorNation brings you the 30 things you need to know about Florida’s upcoming 2012 season. Over the next 30 weekdays, we’ll preview games, talk about trends, spotlight players and positions, and give you pretty much everything you need to know to be ready for the season before the Sept. 1 opener against Bowling Green.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida’s Caleb Sturgis has a chance to become the best kicker in school history.
If the redshirt senior from St. Augustine, Fla./St. Augustine High puts up the same kind of numbers in 2012 that he did in 2009 and 2011, he’ll own several career records. He likely can’t pass former kicker Jeff Chandler as UF’s all-time leading scorer, but he can end up with the most field goals and field-goal attempts and possibly even own the accuracy record.
Sturgis has attempted 60 field goals and made 46 in his career. Chandler owns both of those records (he went 67-for-80 in his career). Sturgis is currently second in field goals.
Sturgis’ field-goal percentage of 76.7 is second all-time among kickers with a minimum of 50 attempts. Chandler also has that record (83.8 percent). Bobby Raymond, who kicked from 1983-84, holds the school record for field-goal percentage for kickers who have had more than 35 but less than 50 attempts (87.8 percent).
Sturgis already holds the school record with five field goals of at least 50 yards, including a 56-yarder against Georgia in 2009. That kick is the second-longest in school history behind the 60-yarder that Chris Perkins hit against Tulane in 1984.
Sturgis is coming off his best season. He made 22-of-26 field goal attempts and earned All-Southeastern Conference honors and ESPN First-Team All-American honors. He also was a Lou Groza Award finalist.
