This staple of K-State football should see a resurgence in 2026

Kansas State built a national reputation for having the premier special teams’ units in the country under Bill Snyder. The program became dubbed “Special Teams U.”

For the most part, elite special teams play was a constant. Even Ron Prince had tremendous success with that aspect of the game during his three years as the K-State head coach. It was an area the Wildcats exploited, helping them win between the margins and swing games in its favor with momentum-changing plays.

The edge the Wildcats have long held in special teams eroded in recent seasons. K-State’s success in the return game has been minimal since 2023, but what’s more disconcerting is the costly, uncharacteristic mistakes from special teams directly contributing to losses.

The Wildcats have had a litany of errors in the past two seasons alone, including botched snaps and holds on kicks, inexplicable turnovers in the return game and allowing punts to bounce that should have been caught, hurting field position. What was once a trademark and strength of the K-State program became a weakness.

The Wildcats are 6-11 in one-score games since 2023, including 1-5 in 2025 against FBS opponents. Since 2021, K-State has won only 40% of its games decided by 8 points or less against FBS opposition. Only two teams in the current Big 12 have a lower winning percentage in single-score games over that time, and special teams issues played a key role in some of those close losses.

However, Collin Klein, who understands the value of special teams having played and coached under Snyder, hired his former teammate and colleague Stanton Weber to be his special teams coordinator. Weber played for Snyder and his son, Sean, and was a special teams standout for the Wildcats from 2011-15. He has played and coached alongside some of the best special teams coaches in the college game, and is now paving his own path, which has led him back to Manhattan.

Weber has returned home. And that means one thing: what was once a staple of the K-State football program is about to experience a resurgence.

What went wrong

Before we look forward, let’s reflect on K-State’s historical success in special teams and where things eventually took a turn for the worse.

The Wildcats lead the country with 63 touchdowns on kick and punt returns since 2005—23 more than the next closest team in college football. However, the success goes much farther back. K-State had five punt return touchdowns in each of the 1998 and 2002 seasons, four each in 2000 and 2003, and three in 1999. I always think back to the 1999 season, when special teams swung multiple games in K-State’s favor, including the David Allen punt return touchdowns in games at Iowa State and at Texas.

However, the success didn’t come just from electric returners like Allen, Aaron and Tyler Lockett, Brandon Banks, Morgan Burns and others. K-State found ways to impact all areas of special teams—from Henry Bryant’s blocked extra point Terence Newman returned for 2 points vs. USC in 2002, to Emmanuel Lamur blocking Iowa State’s point-after-attempt to tie the game late in 2009, to Drew Thallman’s blocked punt Newman ran in for a touchdown vs. Oklahoma in 2000.

There were still some nice moments mixed in between the struggles in recent years, including Chris Tennant’s 52-yard field goal to take the lead late against KU in 2024, a punt return touchdown versus Arizona that same season, and the blocked point-after-attempt for 2 points at KU in 2023. But for the most part of the last two years, it has been an area of weakness plagued with errors.

In a 24-19 loss at Houston in 2024, K-State had an extra point blocked to tie the game after an issue with the snap and placement, and later in the game failed to get a hold down on a 52-yard field goal, resulting in a 10-yard loss and turnover on downs. The following week at home vs. Arizona State, K-State failed to execute a snap and hold on a 23-yard field goal, turning the ball over on downs.

The 2025 season was a comedy of errors. K-State had three special teams turnovers in the first four games of the season, and that’s not including Army’s kickoff that bounced off K-State’s up-man and was recovered by the Black Knights. K-State’s first three losses in 2025 were by a combined 12 points. The Wildcats had a major special teams blunder in each of those three games.

From 2007-19, K-State ranked No. 16 nationally on average for special teams and were top 10 in the country in seven of those 12 seasons, according to Brian Fremeau’s FEI special teams formula. There isn’t a lot of advanced analytics and data pertaining to special teams prior to that. If there was, we know K-State would likely rank far higher. In the last two seasons, K-State has ranked No. 81 and No. 76 in the country in Fremeau’s special teams rankings.

The Wildcats averaged 4.7 yards per punt return in 2025, ranking 119th nationally out of 136 FBS teams, while ranking 131st in the country in punt return efficiency, per FEI.

In 2024, K-State ranked 130th in the country in punting efficiency per FEI, allowing 16.9 yards per opponent punt return, ranking 128th nationally. The Wildcats allowed 19 yards per punt return in 2023, ranking 127th nationally. K-State also ranked 89th in 2025 and 94th in 2024 in yards allowed per kick return.

This has contributed to K-State losing the field position battle. K-State ranked No. 65 nationally in net field position in 2025, according to FEI. In 2024, the Wildcats ranked No. 118 in the country with a negative net field position of 4.6. K-State’s opponents average starting field position was the 31-yard line, a mark ranking 116th in the country, while the Wildcats’ offense started each drive on average at the 26-yard line, ranking 118th.

In the Wildcats' Big 12 championship season of 2022, K-State ranked No. 7 nationally in net field position at plus 4.9. The offense's average starting drive was the 31.5 yard line (No. 14 in the country), while opposing offenses average drive started on their own 26-yard line, ranking 11th best nationally.

I could go on with the numbers, but I’ll let the tables below do the talking visually.

K-State's FEI Special Teams Rankings year by year since 2007

Season	Special teams FEI ranking nationally
2025	No. 81
2024	No. 76
2023	No. 48
2022	No. 24
2021	No. 50
2019	No. 4
2018	No. 42
2017	No. 2
2016	No. 31
2015	No. 17
2014	No. 4
2013	No. 45
2012	No. 6
2011	No. 14
2010	No. 10
2009	No. 12
2008	No. 8
2007	No. 10

K-State kick return and punt return average yards per return/touchdowns 2019-25

Season	Avg. yds punt return/TDs	Avg. yds kick return/TDs
2025	4.7 (No. 119)/ 0	25.1 (No. 14)/ 1
2024	10.9 (No. 34)/ 2	19.7 (No. 78)/ 0
2023	4.6 (No. 107)/ 0	18.1 (No. 101)/ 0
2022	13.2 (No. 14)/ 2	23.0 (No. 18)/ 0
2021	27.2 (No. 8)/ 2	19.3 (No. 47)/ 1
2019	10.2 (No. 37)/ 1	29.5 (No. 1)/ 4

K-State kick and punt return average yards allowed and touchdowns given up

Season	Avg yds punt return allowed/TDs	Avg. yds kick return allowed/TDs
2025	4.9 (No. 30)/ 0	21.8 (No. 89)/ 0
2024	16.9 (No. 128)/ 1	21.9 (No. 94)/ 0
2023	19.0 (No. 127)/ 0	19.1 (No. 57)/ 0
2022	6.1 (No. 48)/ 0	16.8 (No. 12)/ 0
2021	10.6 (No. 108)/ 0	22.6 (No. 93)/ 0
2019	12.6 (No. 117)/ 0	18.1 (No. 22)/ 0

Looking ahead to the new era of K-State special teams

Stanton Weber knows the value of special teams better than anyone. He recognizes and appreciates the impact they can have in dictating the outcome of the final score.

“Coach Klein has defined a plan to win here, a tactic to win the game in terms of things we need to emphasize by definition to win,” Weber said at his press conference on Aug. 20. ”We can break it down to (players) in terms of over the past X amount of years if we win this statistic then we win this percentage of our games. If you exclusively look at two stats I’ve been tracking for years—which is hidden yards and momentum plays—If you win both of those you win 90% of the games without any other statistic. And so that is something (players) can see clearly.

“And then on top of all that, just being in different places you realize this place understands special teams are important and the players embrace it. Your starters understand if they have NFL aspirations they’re going to need to play special teams. And also guys just want to win and they get that. Our guys have been fantastic. I’ve got no qualms with our players. I’ve got 20 guys coming to my office every day to just spend 10 minutes with me. It’s been a blast.”

Weber has been successful at every stop during his young coaching career. He became the special teams quality control coach for Chris Klieman in 2019 following two seasons as an offensive graduate assistant for Snyder in 2017-18.

The Wildcats led the country with 29.5 yards per kick return along with four kick return touchdowns under Weber’s watch in 2019. K-State ranked 37th nationally with 10.2 yards per punt return along with a touchdown that same season.

Weber left K-State to become the South Carolina special teams analyst from 2021-22. The Gamecocks ranked No. 9 nationally in ESPN’s SP+ special teams rankings in 2021, while ranking No. 1 nationally in special teams SP+ in 2022. South Carolina ranked top five nationally in average yards for both kick and punt returns that season.

The Gamecocks also tied for third nationally with six blocked kicks total, including five blocked punts, the second-highest mark in the country. They recorded five special teams touchdowns that season in a variety of ways, including two blocked punts for touchdowns, a kick return touchdown, as well as touchdowns on both a fake punt and a fake field goal.

South Carolina punter Kai Kroeger became an All-American and was First-Team All-SEC, including going 4-of-4 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns on fake punts in 2022.

Toledo explosive kick returns under Stanton Weber and where it ranked nationally

Season	30-plus yards	40-plus yards
2025	7 (No. 3)	2 (No. 19)
2024	7 (No. 6)	5 (No. 1)
2023	8 (No. 4)	3 (No. 5)

Kicks blocked by Toledo under Stanton Weber and national ranking

Season	Blocked punts	Total blocked kicks
2025	3 (No. 4)	5 (No. 1)
2024	1 (No. 20)	2 (No. 27)
2023	2 (No. 3)	2 (No. 32)

Weber continued his career ascension in 2023, becoming the special teams coordinator at Toledo, where he spent the past three seasons. Under his guidance, Toledo returned 22 kickoffs of 30-plus yards from 2023-25, ranking top six nationally in returns of 30 or more yards in every season. The Rockets led the country with five kick returns of 40-plus yards in 2024, were tied for No. 3 nationally in 2023 with three, and ranked in a tie for 19th with two 40-plus yard returns in 2025.

Toledo blocked three punts in 2025, tied for No. 4 nationally, while the Rockets blocked five total kicks, tying for the nation’s lead. During Weber’s three seasons there, Toledo recorded nine blocked kicks combined.

Toledo return game numbers under Stanton Weber

Season	Avg. yds per kick return/TDs	Avg. punt return yds/TDs
2025	22.0 (No. 46)/ 1	11.3 (No. 35)/ 1
2024	24.0 (No. 22)/ 1	13.0 (No. 22)/ 0
2023	21.7 (No. 37)/ 1	5.5 (No. 102)/ 0

Just like Klein, Weber is shouldering high expectations in Manhattan. Wildcat fans expect to be good at special teams. Many, including myself, probably took it for granted. But after the past couple of years, we all received a not-so-friendly reminder of what poor special teams can lead to.

However, with Weber in charge, confidence in K-State special teams has been restored. It’s a responsibility he embraces and does not take lightly.

“It’s a great honor,” Weber said on Aug. 20. “Our fan base has a relatively high IQ when it comes to special teams. They’re cheering for the pin punt inside the 5. They’re cheering for the 50-yard net punt when the TV is cutting to commercial. Those guys get it.

“So it’s a lot of fun being one of those fans essentially and now I get to have the bat in my hands. I get a chance to go up there and try to get it done for them. Tremendous honor, tremendous responsibility. And one I’m excited for us to start putting the pieces together to ideally help us win some games.”

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