Dec. 12, 2014

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Austin MacGinnis has added another honor this postseason to an already lengthy list as Scout.com has tabbed the redshirt freshman kicker a Freshman All-America First Team selection, it was announced on Friday.  

MacGinnis was one of three specialists named to the list, which honored 27 freshmen from all across the nation. The native of Wedowee, Ala., was one of eight freshmen from the Southeastern Conference to be selected. MacGinnis, who is the first Kentucky placekicker to earn freshman All-America status in program history, is the first UK player to earn freshman All-America honors since punter Landon Foster by Rivals.com and CollegeFootballNews.com in 2012.

The accolade adds to a list of postseason honors for MacGinnis, who was named a first-team All-SEC performer by The Associated Press and league coaches earlier in the week before earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors by league coaches on Thursday.

MacGinnis set five school records in his collegiate debut season, totaling 21 field goals, the most in Kentucky history.  He had the most field goals in the SEC this season, also leading all NCAA freshmen. MacGinnis finished with a school-record 104 points – equaling the SEC lead – and is one of only five kickers in the nation with three field goals of 50+ yards.

MacGinnis, who made a UK record 41 extra-point tries without a miss in 2014, set another school mark with the longest field goal in school history, a 54-yard boot at Tennessee. MacGinnis, who earned national placekicker of the week from the College Football Performance Awards after making four field goals at No. 22 Louisville, also set a school record with 25 touchbacks on kickoffs in 2014.

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