What Stands Out About Nebraska’s Special Teams?

Kyle Cunanan

The sophomore from Arizona has had a whirlwind journey in college football. Out of high school, Cunanan spent two seasons at Charlotte. While there, he was able to connect on 14 out of his 20 field goal attempts and execute all 21 of his field goal tries. His experiences with the Bobcats should allow him to become a valuable asset to Nebraska’s special teams. But will it allow him to become a starter? For right now, the decision is out of Cunanan’s hands. He’ll have to wait until Nebraska ends fall camp to hear feedback. However, he can control his own moments. During fall camp, Cunanan has allowed himself only to think about tomorrow. But that doesn’t mean he blocks out his teammates. According to HuskerOnline, Cunanan only battles with his teammates when it allows them “to make each other better.”

Kevin Gallic

The longsnapper loved New Hampshire’s program and wanted to play under the Wildcats’ coaching staff. However, it was time for Gallic to pursue an opportunity at Nebraska. On a night visit to Lincoln, he remarked that the “city was beautiful.” In addition, Gallic was immediately impressed with the athletic training staff and facilities. According to HuskerOnline, this led him to believe that this was a place where “he knew that he could succeed.” So far, Gallic has been right in his assessment. During fall camp, he’s pushed himself to be better in terms of “placing the football during his punting snaps and field goal attempts.” This has allowed the New Jersey native to elevate the team’s success. It’s also great that Gallic gets to work with Wilson. In the short time he’s been at Nebraska, Ekeler’s unit  has been successful because of his ability to “hit the football however far we need him to.”

Mike Ekeler

Nebraska’s newest special teams coordinator is bold. In the opening minutes of his address to the media, Ekeler said he has no time to mess around. At Tennessee, he did just that. Ekeler’s Volunteers were able to rank in the top half of the SEC in punt return average over just three seasons. The program also excelled in the metric of punt return defense. Now, Ekeler will look to reach similar heights at Nebraska. The Husker program hasn’t had recent success with special teams. However, Ekeler’s aggressive mentality has flipped a switch for the Huskers.  This is primarily because Ekeler has allowed his players to “go out there and play with their hair on fire.” This may lead to a few mistakes, but Ekeler couldn’t care less. According to HuskerOnline, the only mistake that the players could make is not “making a decision at full speed.” A majority of the roster has adopted this mentality. However, Jacory Barney has taken it to the next level. In the early days of fall camp, Barney was confident that he was going to “lead the nation in punt returns”. His comment shocked the media when it was uttered. But for Ekeler, it’s just a reflection of how much the sophomore loves the game of football.