2021 Gophers Position Previews: Special Teams

After a truncated 2020, Minnesota returns to a full 12-game football season Sept. 2 against Ohio State. Here at Ski-U-Blog will be previews of the team's notable players within each position group. Here is the final post in this series, covering the Gophers' specialists.

Likely Starters

Since Emmit Carpenter's departure, Minnesota's placekicking has gone downhill. As an upperclassman, Carpenter wasn't able to replicate his 2016 Big Ten Kicker of the Year success, but he was nevertheless reliable. He converted every extra-point attempt his last two seasons, and he could hit field goals from 50 yards out.

Between 2019 and 2020, Gopher kickers missed five PAT attempts, went a pedestrian 7-of-11 on 30- to 40-yard field goals, and made zero attempts of more than 40 yards. Minnesota has left points on the board — at times, important ones — because of inconsistent kicking.

So head coach P.J. Fleck tried the transfer market. From Kent State, in steps Matthew Trickett, a two-time All-MAC First Team selection and the conference's 2019 Special Teams Player of the Year. Trickett has missed one PAT attempt in 95 tries. Using estimates from Stadium, we can say that his 82.5 percent field goal conversion rate was 5 points or so better than the average Power Five kicker's would have been, given the locations of his attempts.

An earlier version of this chart included an incorrectly calculated points
over expected estimate.

If you're after "big-time" kicks, Trickett kicked two walk-off field goals during the 2019 season. Here is the second, against Buffalo.

All of this points to the Gophers having found their guy at placekicker.

It was a disappointing debut season for punter Mark Crawford. His punts averaged only a net of 37.4 yards. If he was Minnesota's only punter last season, the Gophers as a team would have ranked 87th in FBS in net punting. (They were instead 102nd.) Crawford comes into 2021 needing to live up to his expectations and fend off arriving competition.

Kickoffs were a major problem for Minnesota in the opening game of 2020 because of COVID-19-related absences and the fact that their only available kicker was not 100-percent healthy. By the Illinois game, Dragan Kesich could play, and the issue was immediately resolved. Kesich produced 10 touchbacks and kicked for an average distance of 62.5 yards.

Cam Wiley has temporarily lost his spot as kick returner on multiple occasions, thanks to an underwhelming 16.8-yard return average. He still gets opportunities at the position, however. True freshman Justin Walley, a utility player in high school, may be the other returner. If his MaxPreps stats can be trusted (and that's a big "if"), Walley returned 14 punts and kicks over four years, taking one punt back for a touchdown as a junior.

Clay Geary, the presumptive punt returner, will have very little returning to do. Last year, Minnesota returned just two punts; the rest of their opponents' attempts ended in fair catches, balls out of bounds, or touchbacks. In 2018 and 2019, Demetrius Douglas often fair-caught punts with ample space in front of him. Fleck seemingly doesn't want to deal with returns or the risk of a muff.

Do you know who Brady Weeks is? No? You can assume he prefers it that way; if you did, he has probably not done his job. Weeks enters his third season as Minnesota's starting long snapper, with not a blemish to his record. He is the only player on the team who can say he was the highest-ranked prospect in America at his position. Crawford, meanwhile, will continue Minnesota's proud tradition of holders.

Key Backups

Kesich and Temple transfer Will Mobley will be second and third in line for field goals and extra points. The former might in fact be the choice on efforts approaching or exceeding 50 yards, though Kesich's line drives might only have the distance and not always the accuracy. Mobley, for his part, once converted 51 consecutive PAT attempts.

Louisiana-Lafayette transfer Matthew Sparks was one of the Sun Belt's top punters by average distance, as well as a very solid kickoff specialist. He will challenge Crawford at punter. If something happens to Kesich, or the incumbent underperforms, Sparks will likely take over kickoffs.

Treyson Potts had one kickoff return last season and could have chances at more this fall. Walley figures to be an option on punt returns. Redshirt senior receiver Brock Annexstad took snaps as punt returner in the spring game and in last Thursday's open practice. His only in-game touch has been recovering a onside kick in 2019.

Notables Unlikely to Contribute

Brock Walker had an onside kick attempt two seasons ago against Wisconsin and attempted almost only squibs against Auburn. He may be the choice for onside kicks in 2021. Last season, his kickoffs were hampered by his recovery from a sports hernia, so that data can probably be thrown out. As a placekicker, he's never connected from further out than 29 yards, and he's 18-for-21 on PAT attempts. Sparks may also try field goals and extra points in a pinch, and Trickett has college experience punting.

Mike Brown-Stephens participated in individual kick returner drills in open practice but has not had an in-game opportunity yet. Mar'Keise Irving, the 4-star running back from Illinois, could return kicks down the line but will probably redshirt this season. Receiver Daniel Jackson and Potts don't seem likely to make the field as punt returners, either.

The most anonymous player on the 2021 Gophers is likely Austin Sullivan, the backup long snapper who did not play last season after transferring from Penn State. Sullivan was the No. 7 snapper in the 2019 class but is unlikely to see the field for another couple years thanks to Weeks' presence.

It is unclear who the emergency snapper is, should injuries — which, as Vikings fans may recall, can happen — or COVID-19 issues sideline both Weeks and Sullivan. The emergency holder, based on last week's open practice, appears to be Annexstad.