PLACEKICKER
Gone: No one
Returning: Merek Glover
New: Kriston Esnard
Analysis: Glover's return for an extra COVID-granted year is a big deal. He still needs to be more reliable from distance-he was 0 of 4 from 45 yards or longer last year and has a career long of 44 yards--but he is ultra reliable from 40 yards and in, an underrated asset. Who knows when Kriston Esnard will be ready--maybe he already is--but nothing sabotages a team more quickly than a kicker that can't connect on routine field goals. Just ask Tulane's team from 2014, which never recovered from its chip shot miss against Tulsa in its season opener, or Tulsa from two years ago, which would have made a breakthrough in 2019 instead of 2020 if its kicker had not missed chip shot game-winners twice. Glover has the leg to make longer kicks, by the way. For whatever reason, he just has not had the confidence. He is good off the tee, too. having produced 35 touchbacks on 75 kickoffs last season. That is key in the battle for field position.
PUNTER
Gone: no one
Returning: Ryan Wright, Casey Glover (walk-on)
Analysis: Wright was not as consistent as his conference-leading numbers (45.2 average) indicated, but he has a huge leg--16 of his 52 punts (31 percent) went for 50 or more yards in 2020--and has been learning on the job over the years after focusing on quarterback in high school. He should be ready to put together a year that earns him justifiable all-conference mention rather than honors based on numbers. Look for him to eliminate the clunkers that seeped in during some pressure moments the past three years.
LONG SNAPPER
Gone: No one
Returning: Ethan Hudak, Matt Smith
Analysis: No concerns here. Hudak, entering his second year, proved reliable in his first. As we learned in the disastrous end of the Curtis Johnson era, good snapping is not automatic in college football.
RETURN SPECIALISTS
Punt returns: Jha'quan Jackson
Kickoff returns: Jha'quan Jackson, Mykel Jones, Jaetavian Toles
Analysis: Jackson was a lot better than Amare Jones when he supplanted him as the primary punt returner last season, averaging 13.9 yards on 16 tries and looking very dangerous. No one on the team is as good as Jones was as a kickoff returner, so this will be an open competition in preseason practice. I assume Jackson will be one of the two, but there are numerous candidates for the other deep back.
Gone: No one
Returning: Merek Glover
New: Kriston Esnard
Analysis: Glover's return for an extra COVID-granted year is a big deal. He still needs to be more reliable from distance-he was 0 of 4 from 45 yards or longer last year and has a career long of 44 yards--but he is ultra reliable from 40 yards and in, an underrated asset. Who knows when Kriston Esnard will be ready--maybe he already is--but nothing sabotages a team more quickly than a kicker that can't connect on routine field goals. Just ask Tulane's team from 2014, which never recovered from its chip shot miss against Tulsa in its season opener, or Tulsa from two years ago, which would have made a breakthrough in 2019 instead of 2020 if its kicker had not missed chip shot game-winners twice. Glover has the leg to make longer kicks, by the way. For whatever reason, he just has not had the confidence. He is good off the tee, too. having produced 35 touchbacks on 75 kickoffs last season. That is key in the battle for field position.
PUNTER
Gone: no one
Returning: Ryan Wright, Casey Glover (walk-on)
Analysis: Wright was not as consistent as his conference-leading numbers (45.2 average) indicated, but he has a huge leg--16 of his 52 punts (31 percent) went for 50 or more yards in 2020--and has been learning on the job over the years after focusing on quarterback in high school. He should be ready to put together a year that earns him justifiable all-conference mention rather than honors based on numbers. Look for him to eliminate the clunkers that seeped in during some pressure moments the past three years.
LONG SNAPPER
Gone: No one
Returning: Ethan Hudak, Matt Smith
Analysis: No concerns here. Hudak, entering his second year, proved reliable in his first. As we learned in the disastrous end of the Curtis Johnson era, good snapping is not automatic in college football.
RETURN SPECIALISTS
Punt returns: Jha'quan Jackson
Kickoff returns: Jha'quan Jackson, Mykel Jones, Jaetavian Toles
Analysis: Jackson was a lot better than Amare Jones when he supplanted him as the primary punt returner last season, averaging 13.9 yards on 16 tries and looking very dangerous. No one on the team is as good as Jones was as a kickoff returner, so this will be an open competition in preseason practice. I assume Jackson will be one of the two, but there are numerous candidates for the other deep back.
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