Position Preview: Special Teams

(Photo courtesy of Larry Sellers)

The Jacks return 2 of 3 core specialists this season. Special teams is an area where the Jacks are always good and often great.  Special teams has certainly helped win a game or two in the past couple years and I would expect the same type of solid performance this season.

#4 Chase Vinatieri is now in his final season handling field goal and kick off duties.  Chase had a bit of a roller coaster year in 2018 connecting on just 14 of 21 kicks including 2 misses on kicks under 30 yards.  However, he did have a monster 57 yard make. He was also 66-71 on extra points.  I'd love to see that percentage be 100% but stuff happens.  The area that I would like to see him improve is on kickoffs; especially kicking the ball out of bounds which happened too frequently in 2018.  A stat that I do love is that the Jacks didn't allow a blocked kick in 2018.  This is a good sign of assignment sure football.

#97 Cole Frahm is a transfer from Nebraska who has the ability to kick and punt.  He has a big leg and with a strong camp, could carve out a role on the team. 

#94 Jake Wolfe is a sophomore kicker who is very accurate but maybe doesn't have the distance yet. 

#52 Bradey Sorenson is back for his third season as the long snapper.  In 2018 he was recognized as an All-American by HERO Sports.  His snaps are accurate, fast, and he is able to to get down the field and help corral the punt returner.  The Jacks haven't had to worry about the deep snaps for a long time and Bradey having two more years of eligibility should be a good feeling for Jackrabbit fans!

#98 Ben Dinkel is the new guy of the group and he will look to replace the very consistent Brady Hale.. Dinkel spent spring practice re-acclimating to live reps after spending 2 years post high school just practicing his technique and form.  Dinkel has a big leg and has the ability to flip the field.

#45 Michael Drotzmann is an incoming freshman that will likely take the year to build strength but he could be a future candidate to challenge as the teams primary punter.

In the return game, the Jacks have one of the biggest weapons at their disposal in #15 Cade Johnson. He is such a natural returner and is able to find seams where others cannot.  He averaged 27.2 yards per return on 17 attempts.  However, he is also a huge weapon for the offense and I know fans would go ballistic if he is injured returning a kick.  #8 C.J. Wilson was next in line for handling return duties and he averaged 18.6 yards per return on just 7 attempts. Others who may get a shot as a kick returner include Jadon and Jaxon Janke. 

At punt returner the Jacks will be without the reliable #18 Marshon Harris for much of the season.  Nothing Harris does in the punt return game is flashy but he doesn't put the Jacks in bad positions.  He is able to make contested catches when bodies are flying around him and he doesn't allow the long rolls that can pin an offense deep in its own territory.  Last year Marshon averaged 3.4 yards per return on 27 attempts.  A player to potentially watch as a punt returner is #27 Jaxon Janke who only had two attempts in 2018, both against Illinois State, but averaged 17 yards per return.   I would expect #8 C.J. Wilson to also have a chance to field punts and it wouldn't surprise me if Devin Blakley got a chance to bring a couple back if he plays in the 4 allowable games for freshmen.

Talking about special teams would be incomplete without talking about guys like #46 Preston Tetzlaff and #21 Donald Gardner.  Both were TERRIFIC in 2018.  Their play got the crowd excited on multiple occasions and also fired up the defense to get out on the field.  I'd expect guys like Levi Brown, Lance Eide, Tyler DeMartra, Kinser Madison, Mike Morgan and Jarek Berg to also be mainstays on coverage units in 2019. 

Go Jacks!
Matt