MSU's Special Teams Units Quickly Rebuilt Under Woods
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LeVar Woods felt like the most surprising assistant hire for new Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
It’s surprising in the best way. Woods is considered to be one of the best special teams coordinators in the country. He had been on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Iowa, since 2008 and been the Hawkeyes’ STC since 2017.
Fitzgerald thinks enough of Woods that he gave him the title of assistant head coach, something Woods did not have at Iowa. Woods’ contract is also quite healthy, as he’s set to become one of the highest-paid special teams coordinators in the country. He’ll make $1.1 million in 2026, $1.2 million in 2027, and then $1.3 million in 2028.
That much money for a special teams coach comes with high expectations. History says Woods should be up for the task. Iowa’s special teams units accumulated the most EPA (expected points added) in the country since 2016, according to an article by CBS Sports.
New Additions to Program
Punter
One phrase that has been associated with Iowa football is “punting is winning.” Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz may be the least aggressive fourth-down decision maker left, as he’s much more likely to try and pin an opposing offense deep, rather than take the risk and try to move the chains.
Woods has coached some good punters at Iowa before. The biggest name is Tory Taylor, who became an All-American for the Hawkeyes after averaging 48.2 yards per punt during his senior season. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, which is a pretty valuable pick to use on a specialist.
Taylor’s successor at Iowa, Rhys Dakin, is the one who followed Woods to Michigan State. Dakin is an Australian punter who has shown serious promise through the first two years of his collegiate career. He’s averaged 43.9 yards per punt thus far, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman and then getting honorable mention All-Big Ten honors this past season.
Dakin has two more seasons of eligibility remaining. He has some large-size shoes to fill in at Michigan State, too. Ryan Eckley, this season’s Big Ten Punter of the Year after averaging 48.5 yards per punt, is foregoing his final year of eligibility to declare for the NFL Draft.
Woods also added a solid backup option behind Dakin. MSU also picked up the commitment of Northern Arizona transfer Alex Weeks earlier this week.
Weeks redshirted this past season at NAU as a true freshman. That means he has all four seasons of his NCAA eligibility remaining.
Kicker
Michigan State and Woods also had some kickers to find. The Spartans’ starter from this past season, Martin Connington, has transferred to Kansas. MSU’s backup, Tarik Ahmetbasic, is also in the transfer portal.
Both spots are already filled back up. Michigan State started by picking up Charlotte transfer Liam Boyd, who has also been at Clemson and North Carolina. Boyd is 10-for-13 on field goals during his career and a perfect 22-of-22 on extra points. His longest make is just from 42 yards away, though.
Woods and MSU also got a very promising high school kicker. The Spartans got the commitment of high school prospect Stephen Gonzales earlier this week as well. Gonzales has made field goals as long as 57 during game action already.
The kicker situation could be interesting next year. Boyd’s range during practice is almost assuredly longer than just 42 yards. But Gonzales’ range might make him a candidate to be the team’s long-range specialist, built for situations where MSU is kicking a 55-yarder or so at the end of a half.
Long Snapper
What also cannot be forgotten is the long snapper position. Both players who played that position portaled out this offseason.
Jack Wills, who started in 2025, is now at Nebraska. Kaden Schickel, who started in 2024 before getting injured, transferred to Vanderbilt.
Those two spots have been filled up, too. It was done in a matter of days as well. Michigan State landed Trey Serauskis, the No. 2 long snapper in the class of 2026 on the 247Sports Composite, last Friday.
Additionally, the Spartans picked up Oregon transfer Nick Duzansky from the portal on Sunday. He appeared in eight total games during his time with the Ducks, but should be in line to start for MSU in 2026.
Kick Returner
What cannot be overlooked, either, is the addition of Nebraska transfer Kenneth Williams. He was one of the best kick returners in the country this past season, receiving Second-Team All-Big Ten honors from the media.
Williams averaged 32.9 yards per return this past season. His highlight was a 95-yard touchdown return against Northwestern.
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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.
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