Ranking the Top Special Teams Units in the West for 2025

1. BYU Cougars

Earlier this spring, my top overall special teams performer was kicker Will Ferrin. My top return man was Parker Kingston, and my top punter was Sam Vander Haar.

The combined strength of those three gives the Cougs the nod as my top overall special teams unit in the west.

In Ferrin they have a kicker who is one of the best in the nation. Kingston is a threat to make a play on any punt return, and Vander Haar can flip the field with his leg.

Garrison Grimes comes in from Baylor as an All-Big XII long snapper adding to an already loaded unit.

2. Oregon Ducks

The sole position among specialists where I would not rank a BYU player first in the West is at long snapper.

That spot is reserved for Luke Basso of Oregon, a First-Team All-Big Ten performer and an All-American. The senior is one of the best in the nation. Boise State’s James Ferguson-Reynolds was a steal for the Ducks in the portal.

Those two are legitimate stars on special teams.

Atticus Sappington missed just two field goals last season. This year he should be improved and is being challenged for the job by Gage Hurych.

3. San Diego State Aztecs

The Aztecs always seem to produce special teamers and punter Hunter Green seems like he could be the next in a long line of punting success stories in San Diego.

He averaged 46.4 yards per punt last season with Northern Colorado.

Gabriel Plascencia went 17 of 18 on FGs last season and the Aztecs find themselves as the best Mountain West special teams unit in 2025.

4. USC Trojans

USC lost plenty in the offseason and special teams were not immune to departures, especially among returners.

Makai Lemmon should fill a void in the kick return department. Last season he averaged 27.1 yards per return on kicks.

Caden Chittenden was a prized HS recruit before ending up with UNLV as a true freshman. He has a cannon for a leg, and once the Trojans get across the 50, they will pretty much be ready to put three on the board.

SC has a quality long snapper in Hank Pepper.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils

Jesus Gomez is the third-best special teamer on my individual list. The native of Mexico comes to Tempe with a huge leg after connecting on all but five of his FG attempts with Easter Michigan with a long of 57.

Kenyon Floyd was a prized recruit in the 2024 class and as a freshman he did not disappoint, punting 40 times for an 40.7-yard average with a long of 56.

Jalen Moss has speed to burn in the return game, and the transfer from Fresno State will be a threat on every kick.

6. Fresno State Bulldogs

Dylan Lynch struggled a bit with the kicking duties in 2024 but had an outstanding season in 2023. The ability is there and we should see a bounce-back season this fall.

Clay Lawrence could be a star in the making at punter. In his freshman campaign he punted 58 times, dropping 19 inside the 20, with three traveling 50-plus yards.

With Jalen Moss gone, Jaylon Farrar should be a capable replacement. At Ventura College in 2024, he averaged 28.4 yards per kick return.

7. UNLV Rebels

The Rebels have churned out Groza finalists the last few seasons. Caden Chittenden is gone, but Caden Costa enters from Memphis where he converted eight of his 13 FG attempts last season.

For his career, he is 23 of 31 on FGs, having playing for the Tigers and Ole Miss before that. With his experience, he’s likely to continue the Rebels’ kicking success.

Konner Melzer should handle the punt duties. Although he is a walk-on, he has extensive experience at the JC level for Mt. San Jacinto College, where he was accurate with the placement.

Jacob De Jesus was an elite-level return man. DeAngelo Irvin may not be an All-American, but he has speed to burn and is shifty with the ball in his hands.

8. Stanford Cardinal

Stanford has produced some really good kickers in recent seasons, and this year, Emmet Kenney could be poised to break out.

He connected on 82.4 percent of his three-point tries last year and could be better in 2025. One third of Aidan Flintoft’s punts last season pinned opponents inside the 20 while averaging 42.0 per boot.

Tiger Bachmeier has a chance to be an explosive returner. Last season he returned 10 kicks for 126 yards and 14 punts for 170 yards and a touchdown.

9. Colorado Buffaloes

Alejandro Matta has been a solid kicker for the Buffs. Since arriving in Boulder two seasons ago, he has connected on 22 of 27 field goal attempts and is near automatic inside the 40-yard line.

Damon Greaves has the potential to be a factor in the punt game and the Australian can pin opponents down with placement.

Isaiah Hardge will be the primary return man this season and has the speed to make plays. He had one return last season for 43 yards and was a special teams coaches dream in 2024.

Hardge appeared in 77 plays on special teams last season across all disciplines: kickoff, kickoff return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block.

10. Air Force Falcons

Luke Freer led the MW in punting last season and would have been fourth in the nation and with an average of 47.5 yards per punt, but he did not have enough attempts to qualify. The senior has a huge leg. He punted 20 times in 2024, and 10 ended up inside the 20 while 14 of them traveled 50+ yards.

Another senior, Reagan Tubbs, will handle kicks. He is a bit raw on the point-scoring kicks but has a big leg and has been the KO specialist for the last few seasons.

Kurt Chesney is among the upper half of long snappers nationally and one of the best in the west. Cade Harris is another senior and will be the return man.

This group is full of seniors, and they will be consistent. The Falcons most likely will not lose games due to their special teams unit.

11. UCLA Bruins

Mateen Bhaghani’s 57-yard field goal last season against Iowa was the second-longest in UCLA history.

He has a big leg and has shown consistency, connecting on 85 percent of his FGs during his collegiate career, split between UCLA and Cal.

Will Karoll is a good punter. During his time at Tulane, the Ausie had 85 career punts with an average of 43.4 yards. He also has 12 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Mikey Matthews will most likely be the returner, and the Cal transfer has speed and quickness to make plays in space.

12. California Golden Bears

I could easily have ranked Utah or Boise State in this final spot, and they would have been deserving. But Cal has something in special teams that the rest of the country does not—Jacob De Jesus!

The speedy WR is electric, and any return of his is worth the price of admission. In the last two seasons with UNLV, he totaled over 1,500 combined return yards.

Spencer Brien will step into the kicking role, and while he has no experience in college yet, he does have NFL pedigree as his dad Doug enjoyed a lengthy career in the league.