MSU's Projected Special Teams Starters Following Spring Practices
In this story:
The special teams units are going to see a transformation this season at Michigan State.
Pat Fitzgerald made a splash this offseason by hiring LeVar Woods away from Iowa to be the special teams coordinator. With Woods, graduation, and the transfer portal, MSU will have different starters at punter, kicker, long snapper, kick, and punt returner next season.
Punter: Rhys Dakin
Replacing NFL draft pick Ryan Eckley is Rhys Dakin, who followed Woods to East Lansing from Iowa. Dakin was a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree as a freshman in 2024 and an Honorable Mention in 2025.
The Aussie punter has averaged 43.9 yards per punt so far in his career and brings two years of eligibility with him to the Spartans. Northern Arizona transfer Alex Weeks will be the backup punter.
Kicker: Liam Boyd
Also coming in from the transfer portal is Charlotte transfer Liam Boyd, who has also had previous stops at Clemson and North Carolina. Boyd is 10-for-13 (76.9%) on field goals in his career with a long of 42 yards (he was good from 50 in high school once, though). He's 22-for-22 on extra points as well.
Two of Boyd's misses last year, his first year as a starting kicker, were from inside 30 yards. He's replacing Martin Connington, who transferred to Kansas this offseason. Incoming freshman Stephen Gonzales will likely be the backup.
Long Snapper: Nick Duzansky
Getting the ball into the holder's and the punter's hands (Dakin's hands, to be specific) is Oregon transfer Nick Duzansky. He appeared in a handful of games over three total seasons with the Ducks, but never really got his chance as a starter until now. MSU will also be rostering freshman Trey Serauskis.
There aren't exactly a lot of stats to know about a long snapper, but what is interesting is that Duzansky was a high school teammate of Alessio Milivojevic at St. Francis in Illinois. His brother, Tyler, who was a snapper at Penn State, also recently signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kick Returner: Kenneth Williams
The kick returner is, guess what, another transfer addition. Woods went and got kick return specialist and running back Kenneth Williams, who is from Detroit.
Williams was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection from the media last season at Nebraska as a kick returner. He averaged 32.9 yards per return last year, with his highlight being a 95-yard house call against Northwestern.
Punt Returner: TBD
It's going to be interesting to see who takes over at punt returner. There is no real obvious answer right now.
A few different names are in the conversation, but I would suggest incoming 4-star receiver Samson Gash. Simply put, he's going to be the fastest player on the field next year, and putting him at punt return instantly creates opportunities for him to get the ball in the open field.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika