San Diego State has high standards to uphold on special teams

Aztecs are relying on their placekicker and punter

San Diego State football helmets. | Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK

There’s something special about San Diego State’s special teams.

As the Aztecs prepare to open their season at home Thursday night against Stony Brook, there’s a high standard to uphold on special teams, which, as football fans know, is one area that can make or break a team.

SDSU looks to be in good shape on special teams, where placekicker Gabe Plascencia has been named the Mountain West preseason special teams player of the year and Hunter Green has been tasked with upholding an impressive streak of success by Aztecs punters. 

“The standard here has been nuts,” said Zac Barton, who’s entering his second season as SDSU’s associate head coach and special teams coach. “Other places I've been, you're going in, the culture wasn't at a place where you wanted it. You come here and the special teams the last decade have been elite. Hasn't been good, hasn't been kind of good, it's been in the top one percent good.

“That's the standard we’ve got to try to live up to every day. And those guys know that. We have the guys here coming back and the specialists here to be that, and that's what we need to be. We need them to help us win games.”

Recent accolades

Oct 5, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs cornerback Chris Johnson (1) warms up against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors before the game at Snapdragon Stadium. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

Both of Barton’s kickers earned All-MW honors last year, with punter Tyler Pastula being named to the first team and Plascencia to the second team.

Additionally, returners Chris Johnson and Jordan Napier earned honorable mention honors. Napier, a starting wide receiver, is listed as the top punt returner on the depth chart as well as a kickoff returner. Johnson, the starting left cornerback, isn’t listed as a returner. 

Who is Gabe Plascencia?

Plascencia is a senior from Oakland who kicks with his left foot. He made 13 of 14 field goals last year for the best field goal percentage (.929) in program history and enters 2025 having made 12 straight field goals, tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the country and the second longest by an Aztec since at least 1996.

“I like to look back at the things that worked and the things that didn't work. Obviously, I didn't have a perfect season last year. I feel like no one really does, but it's just kind of building off the things that you can control,” Plascencia said. “I had a few mistakes last year, but we'll have a better season this year.”

Consistency is Plascencia’s focus for 2025. He kicked a career-long 50-yarder in a win against Texas A&M Commerce. He made 18 of 19 PATs, including his final 12. 

“I feel the distance has always been there, it's just getting more consistent from those deep ranges,” Plascencia said. “I know we've been working a lot more on that in camp. It’s just trying to be more consistent. That's our main goal. Those moon shots are always the nice ones, but we want to make sure we're consistent from 40 yards in.”

Who is Hunter Green?

Green was a third-team FCS All-American at Northern Colorado last year. He averaged 46.3 yards per punt, which would’ve ranked fifth in FBS play last year and eclipsed Pastula (46.1).

An Aztec punter has made a Mountain West first or second team in five consecutive seasons, including Tanner Kuljian (second team in 2020), Matt Araiza (first team and Ray Guy Award winner in 2021), Jack Browning (first team in 2022, second team in 2023) and Pastula (first team, 2024).

“Obviously there's pressure, and I feel like there's a high expectation because of the recent success of the punters here,” Green said. “But I have high goals and high expectations for myself. So, the expectations that are kind of given to me from the people that want to see a high-level punter, I feel like it matches the expectations I have for myself.

Green, a junior from Redmond, Wash., also is focusing on improving his consistency. 

“Nobody's perfect. Even the punters in the NFL, they have some off games and there are times where they can be better and more consistent,” he said. “If I want to get to that standard where I can compete in the NFL, then I just need to keep on working toward getting more consistent. The dudes who are the most consistent are the guys that hit a good ball and hurt other teams.”

The season opener

The first step in bouncing back from last year’s 3-9 finish comes Thursday night when the Aztecs host Stony Brook of the FCS. This will be SDSU’s final season in the Mountain West before it moves into the new-look Pac-12.