Mizzou Football Position Preview: Special Teams

When Missouri's starting kicker Blake Craig tore his ACL during Week 1 last season, the Tigers special teams immediately took a hit. Missouri had to rely on freshman kicker Robert Meyer for the majority of the season, after a record-breaking year from Craig.

Much like the quarterback room, the Tigers' special teams unit quickly fell into disrepair. But with Craig healthy and a new special teams coach John Papuchis at the helm, the Tigers' special teams will likely be a positive this season.

"[Papuchis] will bring a very new style to our special teams," Eli Drinkwitz said. "But more importantly, it was good to get Blake Craig back."

Let's take a look at the special teams group, which includes an important transfer addition and multiple trusted returners.

Current Players

Kicker: Blake Craig
Kicker: Oliver Robbins
Kicker/Punter: Bruno Reus
Punter: Mark Shenouda
Punter: John Butcher
Long snapper: Brett Le Blanc
Long Snapper: Henry Crosby

Players Lost

Kicker: Robert Meyer
Punter: Connor Weselman

The Coach

Defensive ends coach signals to his team — Nov 4, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive ends coach John Papuchis gestures on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Papuchis will be in his first year as the Tigers' special teams coach after a successful six-year stint with Florida State. The ultra-qualified coach was also the defensive ends coach with the Seminoles for five years and the linebackers coach in his final season with the school. Papuchis spent time as the special teams coordinator of Maryland and Nebraska and was the defensive coordinator of North Carolina and Nebraska for multiple years as well.

At SEC Media Days, Drinkwitz mentioned that on top of a stacked resume, Papuchis has the same 'something to prove' mindset that the coaches before him had. Since he began as a graduate assistant in 2001 at Kansas, he has developed a standard for his units.

Papuchis has helped develop 55 all-conference recognitions, four conference Player of the Years and one Rookie of the Year. He has also coached 16 NFL draft picks and coached in seven conference title games.

This season will be the first of his career that he is only the special teams coordinator, which will give the coach extra focus on a unit that is in need of rapid improvement.

The Returners

Missouri long snapper warms up. — Nov 4, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Missouri Tigers long snapper Brett Le Blanc (49) warms up on the field before the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

After ranking 16th in extra point conversion percentage, 14th in field goal conversion percentage and reducing its field goal attempts from 34 to 21 in 2025, having Craig back is crucial for Missouri.

Meyer went 10-for-14 last season, which is around the same conversion percentage as Craig, but his long was 40 yards. Craig, on the other hand, was first in the SEC in field goals made and first in the country in field goals attempted. He also tied the school record for second-most made field goals by a freshman and second-most conversions from past 50 yards, after going 6-for-9 from the distance.

Having Craig's boot back makes the Tigers' offense much more versatile and will put less pressure on them to move the chains in uncomfortable positions.

Another pivotal returner is long snapper Brett Le Blanc. Le Blanc is a three year starter for Missouri and was a third-team All-SEC selection. Last season Le Blanc was given full range as the long snapper for punts and field goals and cleanly executed all 108 of his snaps.

Kicker Oliver Robbins will also return for the Tigers after playing backup for Missouri last season. The junior appeared in every game last season and went 3-for-5 on field goals with a long of 49 yards.

Punter John Butcher and long snapper Henry Crosby round out the returning group. Butcher is in his senior season and will likely be the backup punter for the Tigers, while Crosby is a previous five-star recruit and a sophomore that could take over at long snapper following Le Blanc's time with the Tigers.

The Transfers

Missouri punter pictured in his high school days. — Brunno Reus, Venice | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Of the two transfers the Tigers added in the offseason, Brunno Reus could be a game changer. In a unit that ranked 15th in average yards per punt and kickoff in 2025, Reus could help turn the Tigers' production around.

After one season at Florida State, Reus followed Papuchis and was named one of three crucial special teams players by Eli Drinkwitz at SEC Media Days.

To preserve his redshirt — which is now irrelevant due to the new five-year eligibility rule — the sophomore appeared in four games and kicked off seven times for an average of 67.1 yards. The average ranked higher than any SEC team averaged last season. Reus will handle kickoffs and punts for Missouri per Drinkwitz.

The Tigers also added punter Mark Shenouda from Tennessee State. Shenouda started with TSU last season and averaged 42.9 yards per punt.

Biggest Question for Fall Camp: How Does Blake Craig Look After His Injury?

So far, so good. The senior has already been attempting and making longer field goals than Meyer did all of last season and was announced as fully healthy. It is still an important thing to monitor since the injury was a freak accident for a kicker and because the unit was turned on its heels after he went down last season.

The Final Word

"Blake Craig is fully healthy and recovered from his ACL injury. Him with a combination of bringing in Brunno (Reus) to handle... kickoffs and punter and Brett LeBlanc snapping, special teams and the specialist position is in good hands."
Eli Drinkwitz

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