University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
2023 Football Roster
Almendares, Kenneth
Jersey Number 45
Kenneth Almendares
- Position:
- Kicker
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-2 / 249
- Class:
- Redshirt Junior
- Hometown:
- Clute, Texas
- High School:
- Brazoswood
Bio
CAREER HONORS
• 2024 Lou Groza Award winner
• 2024 Consensus All-America
• 2024 First-Team All-America (Walter Camp)
• 2024 First-Team All-America (Associated Press)
• 2024 First-Team All-America (USA Today)
• 2024 First-Team All-America (CBS Sports)
• 2024 Second-Team All-America (The Athletic)
• 2024 Second-Team All-America (FWAA)
• 2024 First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference
• 2024 First-Team All-Louisiana
• 5x Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week
• LSWA Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 12, 2022)
2024 Season
The national FBS leader in field goals made (28) and field goals made per game (2.00) … named the Lou Groza Award winner, recognizing the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker … finished 14th in the country in field goal percentage converting on 28 of 31 attempts (.903) … was 25-for-25 in field goals from under 50 yards … lone misses during the regular season were from 53 and 60 yards … converted on 46 of 47 extra point attempts with lone miss coming at ULM (blocked) … the SBC leader and 14th nationally in points scored (130) … holds the UL and SBC career record for most field goals made (69) and holds UL record for career scoring (365) and PATs (158) … the UL single-season record holder in field goals made and points … set the Sun Belt record for most field goals made in a season (28) … was 3-for-3 in field goals in games against Southern Miss (10/5), Texas State (10/29), South Alabama (11/16) and Troy (11/23) … was perfect in two attempts against Kennesaw State (9/7), Tulane (9/21), Wake Forest (9/28) and Arkansas State (11/9).
2023 Season (Redshirt Junior)
Team leader and ninth in the SBC in scoring with 92 points on the season … converted on 14 of 16 field goal attempts and 50 of 51 PAT's … one of five SBC kickers to make 50 PAT's or more in 2023 … tied a school record with 18 consecutive field goals made which began with his final 12 attempts in 2022 … was 12-for-12 in field goal attempts from inside 40 yards … attempted at least one field goal in 12 of 13 games … drilled a pair of field goals in games against UAB (Sept. 16) and South Alabama (Oct. 28) … had season-long 46-yard boot at the first-half buzzer at UAB … was 6-for-6 in PAT attempts in wins over Buffalo (Sept. 23) and ULM (Nov. 25) … was perfect in five PAT attempts at UAB and was 4-for-4 in games against Northwestern State (Sept. 2), Old Dominion (Sept. 9), Texas State (Oct. 7) and Southern Miss (Nov. 9).
2022 Season (Redshirt Junior)
Team leader in scoring (77 points) after converting on 23 of 24 extra points and 18 of 23 field goals … Ended the season making his last 12 field goal attempts … Tied single-game, school record with five field goals against Georgia Southern … Was 3-for-3 from beyond 50 yards with career-best 52-yarder coming at Marshall … Kicked a 51-yard field goal against South Alabama and converted from 50 yards at Southern Miss … One of eight FBS kickers in 2022 to make at least three field goals of 50-plus yards during the season.
2021 Season (COVID Sophomore)
Handled Louisiana’s kicking duties for the first four games of the season before being sidelined with a lower body injury … Began the year with a perfect 2-2 performance against Texas (Sept. 4) and set a new career high converting from 48 yards out … Was perfect against Nicholls (Sept. 11) with a pair of field goals and three extra points … Converted a career-high seven extra point opportunities against Ohio (Sept. 16). Went 4-4 on PATs at Georgia Southern (Sept. 25).
2020 Season (Redshirt Sophomore)
Saw significant time as a placekicker in 2020, playing in six games … Finished the year a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts and a perfect 23-for-23 on PAT attempts … Went 3-for-3 in PATs against Iowa State … Recorded the first made field goal of his career, a 35-yard attempt, against Arkansas State (Nov. 7) and added a season-long 43-yard field goal in the same game … Became the first kicker to tally a perfect field goal percentage, minimum of two made kicks, since Stevie Artigue against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 6, 2020 … Scored eight points against South Alabama (Nov. 14), making five PATs and knocking through a 25-yard field goal … Scored a season-high nine points in the win against ULM (Nov. 28) … Went a perfect 9-for-9 on his PAT attempts in the contest, the most PATs in a single game since Stevie Artigue made 11 against Texas Southern on Sept. 14, 2019 … Tacked on another made field goal against Appalachian State, a 26-yard make at the end of the first half … Added a 31-yard field goal make against UTSA in the ServPro First Responders Bowl.
2019 Season (Redshirt Freshman)
Louisiana’s primary kickoff man who played in 13 games in 2019 … Kicked 88 times for 5,319 yards … Finished the year with 41 touchbacks … Twelve of those kicks came against Texas Southern, totaling 722 yards … Went 2-for-3 on PAT attempts, all of which came against Georgia Southern (Sept. 28).
2018 Season (Freshman)
Kicked off in three different games … kicked the ball for a total of 256 yards.
High School
Ranked as the No. 48 kicker by Kohl’s Kicking Camp for the 2018 class … Only player to win MVP Specialist three years in a row.
Personal
Born on November 14, 1999 in San Pedro Sula, Cortez, Honduras … son of Delmy and Byron Almendares … has two brothers … a Mechanical Engineering major.
• 2024 Lou Groza Award winner
• 2024 Consensus All-America
• 2024 First-Team All-America (Walter Camp)
• 2024 First-Team All-America (Associated Press)
• 2024 First-Team All-America (USA Today)
• 2024 First-Team All-America (CBS Sports)
• 2024 Second-Team All-America (The Athletic)
• 2024 Second-Team All-America (FWAA)
• 2024 First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference
• 2024 First-Team All-Louisiana
• 5x Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week
• LSWA Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 12, 2022)
2024 Season
The national FBS leader in field goals made (28) and field goals made per game (2.00) … named the Lou Groza Award winner, recognizing the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker … finished 14th in the country in field goal percentage converting on 28 of 31 attempts (.903) … was 25-for-25 in field goals from under 50 yards … lone misses during the regular season were from 53 and 60 yards … converted on 46 of 47 extra point attempts with lone miss coming at ULM (blocked) … the SBC leader and 14th nationally in points scored (130) … holds the UL and SBC career record for most field goals made (69) and holds UL record for career scoring (365) and PATs (158) … the UL single-season record holder in field goals made and points … set the Sun Belt record for most field goals made in a season (28) … was 3-for-3 in field goals in games against Southern Miss (10/5), Texas State (10/29), South Alabama (11/16) and Troy (11/23) … was perfect in two attempts against Kennesaw State (9/7), Tulane (9/21), Wake Forest (9/28) and Arkansas State (11/9).
2023 Season (Redshirt Junior)
Team leader and ninth in the SBC in scoring with 92 points on the season … converted on 14 of 16 field goal attempts and 50 of 51 PAT's … one of five SBC kickers to make 50 PAT's or more in 2023 … tied a school record with 18 consecutive field goals made which began with his final 12 attempts in 2022 … was 12-for-12 in field goal attempts from inside 40 yards … attempted at least one field goal in 12 of 13 games … drilled a pair of field goals in games against UAB (Sept. 16) and South Alabama (Oct. 28) … had season-long 46-yard boot at the first-half buzzer at UAB … was 6-for-6 in PAT attempts in wins over Buffalo (Sept. 23) and ULM (Nov. 25) … was perfect in five PAT attempts at UAB and was 4-for-4 in games against Northwestern State (Sept. 2), Old Dominion (Sept. 9), Texas State (Oct. 7) and Southern Miss (Nov. 9).
2022 Season (Redshirt Junior)
Team leader in scoring (77 points) after converting on 23 of 24 extra points and 18 of 23 field goals … Ended the season making his last 12 field goal attempts … Tied single-game, school record with five field goals against Georgia Southern … Was 3-for-3 from beyond 50 yards with career-best 52-yarder coming at Marshall … Kicked a 51-yard field goal against South Alabama and converted from 50 yards at Southern Miss … One of eight FBS kickers in 2022 to make at least three field goals of 50-plus yards during the season.
2021 Season (COVID Sophomore)
Handled Louisiana’s kicking duties for the first four games of the season before being sidelined with a lower body injury … Began the year with a perfect 2-2 performance against Texas (Sept. 4) and set a new career high converting from 48 yards out … Was perfect against Nicholls (Sept. 11) with a pair of field goals and three extra points … Converted a career-high seven extra point opportunities against Ohio (Sept. 16). Went 4-4 on PATs at Georgia Southern (Sept. 25).
2020 Season (Redshirt Sophomore)
Saw significant time as a placekicker in 2020, playing in six games … Finished the year a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts and a perfect 23-for-23 on PAT attempts … Went 3-for-3 in PATs against Iowa State … Recorded the first made field goal of his career, a 35-yard attempt, against Arkansas State (Nov. 7) and added a season-long 43-yard field goal in the same game … Became the first kicker to tally a perfect field goal percentage, minimum of two made kicks, since Stevie Artigue against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 6, 2020 … Scored eight points against South Alabama (Nov. 14), making five PATs and knocking through a 25-yard field goal … Scored a season-high nine points in the win against ULM (Nov. 28) … Went a perfect 9-for-9 on his PAT attempts in the contest, the most PATs in a single game since Stevie Artigue made 11 against Texas Southern on Sept. 14, 2019 … Tacked on another made field goal against Appalachian State, a 26-yard make at the end of the first half … Added a 31-yard field goal make against UTSA in the ServPro First Responders Bowl.
2019 Season (Redshirt Freshman)
Louisiana’s primary kickoff man who played in 13 games in 2019 … Kicked 88 times for 5,319 yards … Finished the year with 41 touchbacks … Twelve of those kicks came against Texas Southern, totaling 722 yards … Went 2-for-3 on PAT attempts, all of which came against Georgia Southern (Sept. 28).
2018 Season (Freshman)
Kicked off in three different games … kicked the ball for a total of 256 yards.
High School
Ranked as the No. 48 kicker by Kohl’s Kicking Camp for the 2018 class … Only player to win MVP Specialist three years in a row.
Personal
Born on November 14, 1999 in San Pedro Sula, Cortez, Honduras … son of Delmy and Byron Almendares … has two brothers … a Mechanical Engineering major.
Michael Desormeaux Media Availability (Sept 1, 2025)
Monday, September 01
Jaden Dugger Media Availability (Aug 30, 2025)
Sunday, August 31
Bill Davis Media Availability (Aug 30, 2025)
Sunday, August 31
Michael Desormeaux Media Availability (Aug 30, 2025)
Sunday, August 31
