Gators 2025 Spring Positional Outlook: Specialists

Gators Illustrated is reviewing, and previewing, each position on Florida's roster during the 2025 offseason. Up next is the special teams unit, also known as the game-changers.

Trey Smack headlines the Florida Gators special teams unit that will have to replace its punter and punt returner. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- A new season approaches, and the Florida Gators will look to breakout in head coach Billy Napier's fourth year after a strong finish to the 2024 campaign.

Familiar faces return, but the Gators saw usual roster attrition in the offseason with 19 total departures from last season, 13 of which were on scholarship, via the NCAA Transfer Portal and more from exhausting their collegiate eligibilities.

As a result, the Gators added 31 total players with a 26-signee high school class and a five-signee transfer portal class.

Gators Illustrated is breaking down each position on Florida's roster as the team approaches spring training camp with a review of each unit's 2024 performances and an outlook on the 2025 season and will revisit each position group with a final depth chart prediction during fall camp.

After taking a look at the offense and defense, we conclude our outlooks with the special teams unit.

Quick Review

With all of its main starters returning, the only question for the 2024 season was if the Gators could avoid the bone-headed penalties that consistently cost them in 2023 or questionable mistakes that made them look foolish.

Consistently, Florida either had too many guys on the field, didn't have enough or the unit wasn't efficient.

Aiming to fix the issues, Florida hired a special teams guru in Joe Houston from the NFL, who implemented certain tasks to increase efficiency such as the special teams mat so the Gators could get all 11 players on the field in a timely manner.

As a result, the costly mistakes dissipated for the most part, and kicker Trey Smack, punter Jeremy Crawshaw and long snapper Rocco Underwood played well as a result.

Smack made a career-high 18 field goals on 21 attempts with none blocked, and won a weekly SEC award after being 5-for-5 on kicks against LSU with two field goals.

Crawshaw, meanwhile, set a career-high in punts downed inside the 20-yard line with five punts of over 60 yards.

Finally, Underwood became the first winner of the Patrick Mannelly Award, which is given to the nation's top long snapper, in school history.

Return-wise, the Gators finally got consistency with receiver Chimere Dike averaging over 13 yards per punt return and running back Jadan Baugh averaging over 21 yards per kickoff return.

Out and In

Scholarship players only

• Out: Jeremy Crawshaw (Graduation), Chimere Dike (Graduation)
• In: Tommy Doman (Transfer), Hayden Craig (Freshman), Evan Noel (Freshman)

Into 2025

With only Crawshaw departing, Florida answered their immediate needs at punter in Michigan transfer Tommy Doman, a career 43.4-yard average punter with a career-long of 71 yards.

The Gators also built its future room once Doman, Smack and Underwood depart from the program in punter Hayden Craig, kicker Evan Noel and long snapper Mack Mulhern, all of whom ranked among the top recruits at their positions.

"Go watch the tape of the Evan Noel guy," Napier said in December. This guy is hitting 62-yarders off the ground. I mean, out here in kicking camp, I think he had a 62-yarder. We called timeout. We doubled timeout out there in the Swamp. He lined up, piked it right down the middle. I don't give many elite grades. He's got an elite grade.

"Obviously, we're extremely excited about Mac and Hayden. I think we've got specialists that are a big piece of the puzzle. We've seen the value of those over our time here. Credit Coach Houston and Coach Couch and Coach Fletch for going out and recruiting some of the best in the country."

With Baugh returning, there's no major questions in either return spot outside of who will be the punt returner.

Redshirt sophomore Eugene Wilson III is likely the obvious choice with tremendous speed and agility in space. However, with Wilson III coming off a season-ending hip injury, we'll see if Florida wants to throw him to the fire while he also gets re-aclimated as the Gators' top receiver.

Sophomore Tank Hawkins could be an option as he has nice traits of speed and agility, and he likely won't be a starter at receiver, and freshman Waltez Clark could be another after a strong senior campaign in which he averaged over 25 yards per kick return and had three total return touchdowns.

The answer likely won't be clear in spring, but Florida has plenty of options to alleviate the loss of Dike.

Way Too Early Depth Chart Projection 

Kicker

1. Trey Smack (R-Sr.)
2. Evan Noel (Fr.)
3. Brandon Rabasco (R-Fr.)*

Punter

1. Tommy Doman (R-Sr.)
2. Hayden Craig (Fr.)
3. Nicolas Ingles (R-Fr.)*

Long Snapper

1. Rocco Underwood (R-Sr.)
2. Mack Mulhern (Fr.)*
3. Gannon Burt (R-So.)*

Punt Returner

1. Eugene Wilson III (R-So.)
2. Tank Hawkins (So.)

Kick Returner

1. Jadan Baugh (So.)
2. Treyaun Webb (R-So.) OR Waltez Clark (Fr.)

*Indicates walk-on status