Projecting Every Conference's Best Specialists for the 2022 CFB Season
All good things must come to an end. Perhaps it's only fitting that B/R's offseason series projecting the best college football unit in each conference signs off with the specialists.
Kickers and punters trot onto the field when, for one reason or another, the offense is headed to the sideline.
The choices are subjective, but they focus on returning production and expected performance.
One important note: The emphasis is on kickers and punters. Established returners are included, but teams regularly have a few players hold the role throughout the season.
Previous units covered: Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Wide Receivers, Secondary, Running Backs, Quarterback, Linebackers
American: Tulsa Golden Hurricane
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Tulsa quietly has a strong group of kickers.
Zack Long buried 22 of 23 field goals, making all seven attempts in each of the 20s, 30s and 40s. The year before, he drilled 12 of his 15 attempts. Long has a 60-of-62 career mark on extra points as well.
Lachlan Wilson checked in 17th nationally with 45.7 yards per punt in 2022, improving from 43.0 yards as a freshman.
Tulsa's coverage units undoubtedly must improve, but Long and Wilson are a luxury for a fringe bowl contender.
ACC: Miami Hurricanes
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Miami may have the nation's top kicker-punter duo.
As the replacement for his brother, Jose, Andres Borregales had a nice freshman year. He went 17-of-21 on field goals—the single gripe a missed potential game-winner over Virginia—and a perfect 45-of-45 on extra points.
The star, though, is tatted-up 28-year-old punter Lou Hedley. He was a second-team Associated Press All-American in 2020 and boasts a career average of 45.1 yards on 162 kicks.
Jacolby George also ranked 12th in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 10.9 yards per punt return.
Big 12: TCU Horned Frogs
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As a whole, the Big 12 is undergoing a substantial overhaul at these positions. The best returning specialists are probably two returners: Kansas State's Malik Knowles and TCU's Derius Davis.
TCU, though, has a slight edge in the kicker department.
Jordy Sandy averaged a career-high 43.3 yards per punt last season, and the Horned Frogs gave up a meager 18 punt return yards. Griffin Kell needs to become more consistent on mid-range kicks, but he's made 29-of-39 career field goals—including 8-of-13 from 40-plus yards—and 79-of-80 extra points.
Oklahoma State's trio of kicker Alex Hale, punter Tom Hutton and returner Brennan Pressley merit a mention, too.
Big Ten: Michigan Wolverines
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Heading into the 2021 season, Michigan had a massive void at kicker. Quinn Nordin and Jake Moody combined to make 3-of-9 field-goal attempts in the previous season.
Fast-forward to today, and Moody is one of the premier returning players at his position. He connected on all 56 extra points and 23-of-25 field goals last season, only missing a pair of kicks from 47 yards.
Additionally, punter Brad Robbins averaged 46.3 yards per boot in 2021. Michigan surrendered only 35 punt return yards all year, too.
Rounding out the group, Blake Corum notched 25.3 yards per kick return, while A.J. Henning was at a solid 9.5 on punts.
C-USA: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
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Ah, the plight of a punter.
The best image available for Kyle Ulbrich is from 2019, when the Blue Raiders traveled to Michigan. Nevertheless, he's a three-year starter with a career average of 43.3 yards per punt.
Middle Tennessee also brings back punt returner Jaylin Lane, who earned first-team All-Conference USA recognition last season. Only three players in the nation had a higher average than Lane's 14.6.
Zeke Rankin ended his freshman year 10-of-14 on field goals and 44-of-45 on extra points. It was an encouraging start to his MTSU career.
MAC: Central Michigan Chippewas
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Central Michigan's lone departure is a major one. Punt returner Kalil Pimpleton, last season's MAC Special Teams Player of the Year, signed with the Detroit Lions.
Everyone else is back, though.
That includes third-team All-MAC kick returner Marion Lukes, who averaged 23.1 yards for the season. He returned one for a touchdown in a victory over Eastern Michigan.
Marshall Meeder has blasted 14 of his 19 career field goals of 40-plus yards through the uprights. While punter Luke Elzinga averaged a modest 41.3 yards in 2021, opponents mustered only 98 yards on 14 returns.
Mountain West: Utah State Aggies
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Last year, the Mountain West boasted the best punters in the country. San Diego State's Matt Araiza and Colorado State's Ryan Stonehouse spent the season kicking absolute bombs.
Stephen Kotsanlee didn't kick as far, but Utah State's punting group was very stingy. As he averaged 42.5 yards, the Aggies ceded 65 yards on 15 returns—a minimal 4.3-yard average that ranked 25th nationally.
Meanwhile, Connor Coles went 20-of-29 on field goals, with a 14-of-16 clip inside of 40 yards. His progress will be key to validating this projection.
In a pretty tight race, Boise State, CSU and Wyoming each have a decent argument, too.
Pac-12: Arizona Wildcats
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The bad news is that Arizona finished 1-11 last season.
The good news, no matter how minor, is that the specialists didn't contribute to that record in a negative way.
Kyle Ostendorp ranked third nationally with 49.2 yards per punt. Although the 'Cats officially gave up 9.2 yards per return, most of the yardage can be attributed to three blocked kicks—and the blame shouldn't land on Ostendorp for any of those.
Tyler Loop settled nicely into the kicking role, converting all 12 extra points and 12 field goals as a freshman.
SEC: Arkansas Razorbacks
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Trick plays are merely a sidebar on special teams, yet Arkansas has a heck of a weapon.
Reid Bauer ripped off a 23-yard run against LSU and tossed a 32-yard touchdown at Alabama last season. Oh, and he's averaged 43-plus yards per punt in each of the last two seasons.
In the placekicking role, Cam Little had a terrific debut. He connected on 20-of-24 field goals—highlighted by a 19-of-21 clip inside 50 yards—and all 46 extra points, earning a place on the SEC's All-Freshman Team.
Although primary punt returner Nathan Parodi retired from football, Bryce Stephens gained 53 yards on three attempts last season. Small sample, but an encouraging one.
Sun Belt: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
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Sun Belt newcomers Marshall and Southern Miss are in the discussion, but reigning champ Louisiana has a well-rounded unit.
Over the last two seasons, Kenneth Almendares has nailed 9-of-10 field goals and 37-of-38 extra points. He was UL's starter to begin the 2021 season until a major hip injury stalled his season in September.
He's back and healthy alongside 2021 first-team All-Sun Belt punter Rhys Byrns and 2020 first-team return specialist Chris Smith. For good measure, Eric Garror is set to return punts for the fourth consecutive year.
This group isn't the main appeal of Louisiana's roster, but special teams certainly shouldn't hurt the program's pursuit of a fifth straight West Division crown.
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