Position Preview: Specialists
8/10/2019 4:03:00 PM | Football
Second-year special teams coordinator Zac Barton has a lot of pieces to work with. All three of the main specialists return this season in sophomore kicker Matthew Trickett, redshirt junior punter Derek Adams and senior long snapper Joey Palumbo but one of the things Barton has been looking forward to is added depth.
"I think we have some depth for the first time since we've been here," said Barton. "We made it through a year with one long snapper. We had to have some other guys like Isaac Vance snap, who did a nice job filling in, but those guys are position players and not snappers. This is first camp we've had where we can develop some depth."
The Golden Flashes were forced to use four punters last season as Adams went down before the season-opener with an injury that hampered him to four games. He took advantage of the NCAA's new rule last year, where a player could participate in four games and still redshirt. Adams' career average is 41.7 yards per punt and is one of the Mid-American Conference's best in flipping the field.
"Derek went through a really tough year last season with the injury," said Barton. "He just worked so hard and not being able to play hurt. Getting back into the swing of things and trusting himself will definitely help. When he gets ahold of one, there's nobody better. He's a game changer for us, capable of flipping the field every time he goes out there, and being healthy, I think he's going to have a huge year for us."
The Golden Flashes added two walk-on punters to provide depth in sophomore Ian Henzi and freshman Mitchell Sutorius.
Trickett was the man called to pick up the workload of the absent Adams, but it's not where he excelled the most. As a placekicker, he turned in a sensational freshman season, drilling 14-of-17 field goals and was named to the All-MAC First Team. He was the first Kent State kicker to earn the honor since Nate Reed in 2008. His longest of the year, a 49-yarder, came against Ohio at home and is the longest kick by a freshman in school history. His coach thinks he can become an even bigger weapon.
"If he builds on last year, I think we can start backing him up with some more confidence," said Barton. "He had the long one against Ohio, but other than that we didn't really put too much stress on him. Hopefully we get in some situations as soon as we hit the 35-yard line we are in scoring range, that would be a huge deal. He's very capable of doing it, and the big thing is he's consistent. I think he has the mental toughness to handle when things don't go right and bounce back. The expectation, plain and simple, is for Matt is to be the best in the conference."
He will be backed up by freshman Luke Pawlak.
The third piece of the specialists group is anchored by the long snapper Palumbo, who has appeared in 23 career games. Kent State added two freshmen as backups in Tyler Lenke and Brad George.
"You know what you are going to get every day out of Joey," said Barton. "He's going to put it right there every time. That's the best thing you can say about a long snapper, in that you know they are going to be consistent."
Kent State also has dynamic return men in seniors Jamal Parker and Kavious Price. Parker gave the Flashes excellent field position when he started to return kicks in week eight and totaled 301 yards on just 10 returns. Price was not a returner last year, but Barton thinks he can be a pivotal punt returner and improve on last year's 3.94 punt return average.
The Golden Flashes are also looking to fill the kickoff specialist role and there is an open battle during camp between Trickett, Pawlak and Henzi.
Experience and added depth could assist the Flashes even more on special teams and help Kent State improve on an already solid unit.
