Aggressive Roster Upgrades Validate LeVar Woods High Priced Michigan State Arrival

The Spartans should anticipate an improvement in this phase next year.

Michigan State's assistant head coach/special teams coordinator LeVar Woods talks with Tarik Ahmetbasic, left, and other on special teams during spring football practice on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Special teams has been made a clear priority for Pat Fitzgerald in his early days in East Lansing.

Michigan State has had a pretty good run recently with individual specialists, but the units as a whole have been lacking. Despite having elite punter Ryan Eckley last season, the Spartans finished ranked 103rd on special teams, according to SP+. That should change this coming year.

The Million-Dollar Special Teams Blueprint

Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at the Hansen Football Performance Center in Iowa City, Iowa. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

The biggest message Fitzgerald sent is his decision to hire LeVar Woods as both the standalone special teams coordinator and the team's assistant head coach. Woods is one of the highest-paid special teams coaches in college football now. His three-year deal will pay him $1.1 million this season, $1.2 million in 2027, and $1.3 million in 2028.

Bringing Woods in is the biggest source of confidence here. He had been the special teams coordinator at Iowa since 2018 and had assisted with the Hawkeyes' units since 2012. Iowa's special teams were ranked 10th in the country last season on SP+, which is the kind of territory it was accustomed to with Woods in charge.

Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods walks along the sideline during a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Indiana, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Woods is a major reason Michigan State took a loss in Iowa City last season. Kaden Wetjen returned one punt for a touchdown against the Spartans last season and had several other long returns, totaling 147 return yards on just three opportunities. MSU lost that game by three, also blowing a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Portal Additions Poised to Dictate Field Position

Apr 26, 2025; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa’s Rhys Dakin (9) looks on during a spring NCAA football open practice at Kinnick Stadium. | Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Spartans also have several new players who will fill in roles nicely. Woods brought over punter Rhys Dakin with him from Iowa City. Dakin was a second-team All-Big Ten and an honorable-mention all-conference honoree during his first two seasons in college football.

Nebraska transfer Kenneth Williams is another interesting addition. The Detroit native was one of the best kick returners in the conference last season. He returned one kick for a touchdown against Northwestern and got second-team All-Big Ten recognition from the media.

Punt returner and kicker are slightly more interesting. Charlotte transfer Liam Boyd should be MSU's main placekicker in 2026, but freshman Stephen Gonzales probably has the bigger leg and could be used in long-range situations.

True freshman Samson Gash would also be a candidate for punt returner. He's already set to be the fastest player on the team and was quite good at it while playing at Detroit Catholic Central. Nobody in particular seems to have a firm grasp on this job, though.