Mike Ekeler Instilling Relentless Approach to Nebraska Special Teams

While the Nebraska football team is getting used to a relatively new coaching staff, one of the "new" faces to the staff isn't new to Nebraska or its fan base.

Special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler is back for a second stint with the Huskers, and it's starting off much like it did back in 2008 when he came to Lincoln as the linebackers coach on Bo Pelini's coaching staff.

Ekeler was greeted with headlines like “Fiery Ekeler making immediate impact on Huskers” from Inside Nebraska or “Ekeler's exuberance for the game is constantly evident” from the Lincoln Journal Star. It's been 17 years since his first first season with Nebraska. Now he's the team's special teams coordinator, and his passion and approach to the game haven't changed a bit, even if his job title has.

"We're going to be aggressive," Ekeler said. "If we go out and make a mistake on special teams, I want you to write this: 'Ek stinks.' It's on me. I told our guys they can't make a mistake. The only mistake they could make is not making a full-speed decision."

It's his ownership of the lows that is also already leading to a lot of highs through fall camp. Ekeler's a players' coach, much like he was in 2008. Seventeen years later, his relationship with his players is so important to him that he has two offices. He's got one in the coaches' wing of Memorial Stadium, but he's also got one near the weight room and the players for the sake of visibility and face time with his guys. It's an approach that might just lead to an ultimate shift in how special teams have been viewed in recent years.

Nebraska just missed an onside kick

Not “didn’t recover an onside kick”, missed an onside kick pic.twitter.com/b2HHVt68m0
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) November 3, 2018

Nebraska's woes in that department have been well-chronicled by journalists and fans alike. Missed field goals, onside kicks with the lead...you get the point. Gone are the days of Nebraska being the special teams powerhouse it once was. Kickers like Alex Henery, Brett Maher and Kris Brown joined forces with punters like Sam Koch and Kyle Larson to make Nebraska a special teams factory for decades.

A full year has elapsed since the moment, and I still have no idea why Nebraska tried this onside kick against Northwestern in Dublin pic.twitter.com/839iHNBuzT
— Bradley Locker (@Bradley_Locker) August 27, 2023

Unfortunately, those names and eras seem like ancient history with how things have gone over the past decade in Lincoln. However, with Ekeler at the helm, practices are picking up in intensity.

"They're awesome," placekicker Kyle Cunanan said of practices during fall camp. "They're full of energy. You know, there's not a rep where he's not yelling and hyping everybody up. He treats everybody the exact same, and it's pretty awesome."

While Ekeler's energy can be a pleasant surprise for many players who haven't read up on him, Cunanan admitted he got somewhat of a heads-up before his first interaction with the storied coach.

"My kicking coach actually prefaced to me that he was going to be super upbeat," Cunanan said. "When I got on the phone with him, that was completely true. There are not a lot of guys out there who are as excited about his job and what he does as coach Ekeler."

It's that excitement and passion for his job and the groups he's helping lead that make even traditional coach-speak in fall camp sound like a battle cry. It's exactly what Nebraska has needed in the special teams room after years of everybody (fans and players alike) holding their breath every time the team attempted a field goal or to flip the field with a good punt.

Years of lackluster results in the various phases of special teams have led the fan base to be pleasantly surprised if the team makes a field goal or has a good return off a kickoff or punt. Under Ekeler, that mentality is changing in a hurry, because he's not letting his players think failure is an option.

Archie Wilson punts the ball during 2025 fall camp — Archie Wilson works on his punting at practice during fall camp. | Nebraska Athletics

"Everybody's got a job to do, and if that job's not done well, I won't point a finger, I'll point a thumb," Ekeler said. "At the end of the year, when we look up, we're all going to be smiling, but we're not going to ride a damn wave around here. There's no curse. The only curse I know is we've been making game-winning field goals where I've been."

It's hard to remember a fall camp where the team's special teams has been talked about as much as it has here in 2025, and for good reason. Not only is Ekeler now running this ever-so-vital phase of the game, but there are a ton of unknowns entering the year.

Excitement is building around the team's new punter Archie Wilson. From Banana Balls to missing home, he's already made a name for himself in Lincoln. Fans certainly hope Wilson matches his preseason hype. Then you have a placekicker battle that is still not settled. Cunanan joins John Hohl and Tristan Alvano in a three-way battle to earn first-team honors this season. It's a decision Ekeler expects to make by the end of this week.

Whoever earns the starting nods and trots out to make the team's first field goal attempt or launch the first punt, Ekeler said all of them will operate without three words in their vocabulary.

"Wishing, trying and hoping — we don't use those words," Ekeler said. "We're grown men. We work every single day, and when you work and you put it on film and players see that what you're doing works, you gain confidence."

Nebraska specialist John Hohl kicks off against Rutgers. — Nebraska specialist John Hohl kicks off against Rutgers in 2024. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

It's hard to believe, but as you read this, we find ourselves 10 days (or less) away from kickoff against Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 28 in Kansas City. It's only fair that the first play we see Nebraska make this season will be from Ekeler's special teams unit. Will it be a kickoff return for a touchdown? Maybe it's a kickoff pinning the Bearcats deep in their own territory. Who knows — maybe he'll go for an onside kick to catch Cincy sleeping just to raise the heart rates of everyone in the stadium right off the jump.

Nobody truly knows what this team will look like in all three phases of the game until they finally stop looking at paper and start seeing how guys perform when the lights are the brightest. You can't script confidence or anxiety, but you can coach it and have your players follow a philosophy. That's what a Mike Ekeler-led special teams unit appears to be primed to do in less than two weeks.

Mike Ekeler post-practice Aug. 12, 2025 — Mike Ekeler is preaching "One Shot, One Kill" with his special teams units. | Nebraska Athletics

"It's about executing every time you're on the field," Ekeler said. "That's why we break down every meeting with 'One Shot, One Kill.' You've got one play — this is not offense. You're not guaranteed three unless you give the ball away. You've got one shot to go out there. You've got one shot to kick a field goal."

Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule

Aug. 28 (Thursday) vs. Cincinnati (Kansas City) 8 p.m. ESPN
Sep. 6 vs. Akron 6:30 p.m. CDT BTN
Sep. 13 vs. Houston Christian 11 a.m. FS1
Sep. 20 vs. Michigan 2:30 p.m. CBS
Oct. 4 vs. Michigan State 11/2:30/3
Oct. 11 at Maryland TBA
Oct. 17 (Friday) at Minnesota 7 p.m. FOX
Oct. 25 vs. Northwestern TBA
Nov. 1 vs. USC TBA
Nov. 8 at UCLA TBA
Nov. 22 at Penn State TBA
Nov. 28 (Black Friday) vs. Iowa 11 a.m. CBS

Home games are bolded. All times central.

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