Northwestern 2021 Season Preview: Specialists

Seventh in a series of Northwestern position-by-position breakdowns going into the 2021 season.

Offense: Quarterbacks | Running Backs l Receivers | Offensive Line

Defense: Defensive Line l Linebackers l Defensive Backs

Change can be a good thing. And ever since bringing Jeff Genyk back to Evanston to coach the Wildcats’ special teams, things have been pretty good.

In his three years since returning to the lakefront, Northwestern has finished near the top-half nationally in overall special teams efficiency, according to ESPN’s metrics. They’ve been top-50 in both kick return average and in net punting in two of the three years, and top-36 in kick-off coverage all three seasons under Genyk.

They’ve also been top-33 in punt return average allowed all three years, and both the number of touchbacks on kick-offs and field goal percentage has increased each year too.

Genyk enters year four with all of this progressive, forward movement, and he’ll have two highly experienced foot-specialists leading the way, along with some groups that bring the juice in covering kicks and punts.

Here’s how the specialists should shake down for 2021.

The strength of the Wildcats special teams under head coach Pat Fitzgerald has always been their ability to cover kicks. They were 27th in kick-coverage defense, allowing just 18.2 yards per return (ypr) on 24 kicks. This meant that teams were ultimately losing around seven yards of field position when they elected to bring back kicks against the Wildcats, instead of calling for a fair catch or allowing for a touchback.

Kickoffs have continued to improve as well. One out of every three kickoffs that Charlie Kuhbander hit went for a touchback -- a number the Wildcats haven’t reached since 2016.

The Purple Posse was even more stout on punt returns, ranking 19th with just a 2.9 ypr on 11 runs. Part of this success has to do with their punter, Kent State transfer Derek Adams, who averaged 41.8 yards per punt last year, hanging many high and long enough for his squad to get downfield. They averaged a net of 38.9 yards (sixth in the Big Ten) thanks to the punt coverage team.

Kuhbander hit on 75 percent of his field goals, and all 27 of his PATs, which is worth mentioning, considering he was one of only 43 “primary” placekickers out of 127 last year (34%) that connected on all of their 17-yard chip shots. The Wildcats also had zero kicks blocked, and four-year starter and future doctor Tyler Gillikin was perfect on all of his long snaps.

In their own return game, though, Northwestern seems to favor the fair catch over the return. When they did elect to bring it back, the Wildcats averaged 23.5 yards per run-back on kickoffs, which put them at 25th nationally.

There were a couple of areas that Genyk’s gent’s could boost. They were 70th in the country (seventh in the Big Ten) in punt return average, at 6.6 per clip, and some early-season drops put their defense in a hole at times.

Though we mentioned kickoffs have been improving, Kuhbander did hit them for lesser yardage last year (an average of 57 yards), compared to previous seasons, and put two out of bounds (for penalties) in nine games. That's something that needs to be cleaned up. It would look on paper that more kickoffs could be put into the end zone for touchbacks, but the fact that Northwestern’s headhunters are limiting opponents to just 18 yards in kick return situations, that’s a stat that many would take, especially considering the hardy defense the Wildcats typically trot out.

Northwestern was ranked 64th in ESPN’s special teams Eeficiency rankings this year, putting them almost exactly in the 50th percentile.

They don’t typically return kicks if they don’t have to: their number of returns have been decreasing in quantity on both KRs and PRs over the last four years. On 10 returned kickoffs, they only lost a net of 15 yards, which put them third in the conference. That's not bad. Even on punt returns, their 6.6-yard average ranked seventh in the Big Ten among teams that averaged at least one PR per game.

It seems to be a safe formula that’s enabling them to win games, provided they get even half-way decent output on offense (throw out 2019). Opponents are also decreasing their number of returns, as well, which could be in part to NU’s capable coverage teams. Both of these offensive and defensive strategies, and their resulting byproducts, have been part of the winning DNA for Fitzgerald’s Wildcats, and we expect a lot more of the same.

Northwestern must replace the most overlooked position on the roster in their long snapper. Gillikin was another in a recent line of consistent snappers. In four years as the offensive special teams starter, Gillikin had one bad snap. One! He, himself, followed a good one in Chris Fitzpatrick before him, so this is getting to be a specialty position (no pun intended) in Evanston.

Fitzgerald stresses security and practicality in this third of the game, but if the Wildcats can work an energizing kick-block (like Cam Ruiz’s vs Notre Dame in 2018), or an electrifying kick/punt return into the fray this year, this unit will be even more effective.

Redshirt senior PK-K Charlie Kuhbander (6-foot, 195 pounds) took advantage of the COVID bonus year and enters his fifth year as the kicker for the Wildcats. In three of the last four seasons as Northwestern’s placekicker, he tagged 71 percent or more of his attempts, with the one outlier being a year riddled with a hip injury, which certainly affected his delivery and accuracy.

Kuhbander put 9-of-12 FGs (75 percent) between the golden pipes last season; he was 4-of-4 inside 30 yards and 5-of-7 from outside 40, including a career-long 47-yarder coming against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. He’s currently in seventh place in Northwestern history in field goals made and looks to continue moving up in his fifth season.

“Kuhbs” also sent 44 kick-offs deep, with a 57-yard average, in 2020, and 14 of them ended as touchbacks.

At punter, redshirt senior P-PH Derek Adams (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) also decided to take an extra year in Evanston. The former Kent State transfer sent 44 punts skyward at a 42-yard clip, with a long of 60, and five that traveled more than 50 yards. Nearly half (21) were fair caught, 16 were successfully downed inside the 20, and five went for touchbacks. He also serves as a sturdy placeholder for Kuhbander, just as he did at Kent State for all-MAC PK Matthew Trickett, who ironically comes to play in the Big Ten in his final year after transferring to Minnesota.

The Cats will be turning to a new long snapper for the first time in four years after “Dr. Gillikin moves on to more cerebral things. Senior Peter Snodgrass (6-foot, 212 pounds) has appeared in four games over the last two years, but in just one last season. He was ranked as the 50th-best long snapper in his class, according to Rubio Long Snapping analytics, and should get the first opportunity to replace Gillikin. But he’ll certainly be pushed (more on that later).

The return game appears to be open, though senior JJ Jefferson (5-foot-10, 180 pounds), who sat out last season, averaged 13 yards on three punt returns back in 2019, with a long of 19, so he was consistent in his work. He’s one of the fastest players on the squad and could give them a little electricity back there.

Another candidate for returning punts, as well as kicks, is senior Berkeley Holman(5-foot-11, 197 pounds). He’s been back there before, has solid hands and a little shake too, so he could field the rock, at least early on. It should be noted that he had a 99-yard kickoff return in high school and could be a bit of a hidden gem.

The primary kick returner looks to be redshirt sophomore Coco Azema, (5-foot-11, 185 pounds). Azema dazzled as a running back for one game in his first year, in 2019, against Illinois, so we know he can be dynamite as a straight-ahead runner, with some shimmy to go with his strength. He averaged 28.5 yards on two bring-backs in 2020, with a long of 35 yards.

Kansas redshirt senior transfer Stephon Robinson (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) may also factor in on kicks. He averaged 22 yards per return in Big XII play and shows to be a straight-ahead runner who can find the seams in the open field.

Junior kicker Trey Finison (5-foot-9, 183 pounds) is in his third year in Purple and had a respectable first-year showing in 2019, with nine of 33 kickoffs sent for touchbacks and a 59-yard average in 12 game appearances. In 2020, however, he only appeared against Maryland, hitting one kickoff for 59 yards and missing his only PAT attempt. He does have a relatively strong leg, though it’s not likely that Fitzgerald would attempt a FG beyond 50 yards.

Coming in via the transfer portal from Michigan State, is redshirt first-year Jack Olsen (5-foot-9, 180 pounds). A hero from nearby Wheaton, Ill., Olsen was rated the nation’s fourth-best freshman kicking prospect by Rivals in 2020. Though he didn’t see any action at MSU, he hit 10 FGs, with a long of 53, and 42 PATs in his senior year of high school, when he also put 54 of 64 kickoffs into the endzone for touchbacks. We’re pegging this young man as the future at his position, for the Wildcats.

Preferred walkon redshirt first-year LS William Halkyard (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) will look to give Snodgrass a run for his money on special teams deep snaps. He was ranked the fourth-best snapper in his class, according to Rubio Long Snapping, earning a five-star ranking at his position. He “rips” the ball back to the punter in an impressive 0.72 seconds (slightly faster than Snodgrass), and moves well downfield to cover punts. It’ll be interesting to see how this battle shapes out by the start of the season.

At punter, redshirt junior Jake Genyk (6-foot3, 200 pounds), and son of the special teams coach) will serve as the backup to Adams, grooming to be the guy next season. Redshirt first-year Hunter Renner (6-foot-2, 207 pounds) did not appear last year but was an All-American punter in high school in Indiana and could give Genyk some competition.

Junior Raymond Niro III (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) has been the core of the coverage unit the last couple years. He’s typically the first man downfield on both punt and kick coverage and is a big reason for the Wildcats’ impressive numbers in limiting return yardage. Niro, who doubles as a wide receiver and has also played running back, earned a scholarship midway through his first year due in large part to his special teams prowess.

Junior CB A.J. Hampton (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) has been another stout stopper on the special teams squad. His dad was a special teams coach in the college ranks and currently serves as the safeties coach and assistant head coach to Terry Bowden at Louisiana-Monroe. Young A.J. has proven speed, quick feet sound tackling and plays with a physicality that make him an ace on special teams.

Redshirt senior LBs Chris Bergin (5-foot-11, 223 pounds) and Peter McIntyre (6-foot-2, 231 pounds) have played on the kickoff and punt/FG defense units the last couple seasons and bring experience and toughness to those groups. The same can be said about Azema, who covers kicks in addition to returning them.

There’s also redshirt senior Joe Spivak (6-foot, 300 pounds) who serves in his third year as personal protector on the punt team. Not only does he provide a big body to shield his punter, but his Wildcat pride makes him one of the best bouncers of the brigade. His dedication to the “Wildcat Way” and undying devotion to all things Purple helped him earn the coveted No. 1 jersey this August.

Keep an eye out for redshirt first-year Owen Bergin (5-foot-10, 210 pounds). We expect him to see time in this realm, considering his older brothers (Chris and Joe) have made quite a legacy on special teams in their times in Evanston.

K/P Jacob Tabibian (5-foot-9, 185 pounds) hails from Lafayette, Calif., and was ranked as a four-star by the Chris Sailor Kicking Academy. He’s fairly accurate and has a 50-yard range. While he still needs some work, to challenge for kicks in the near future, he certainly gives NU another legitimate leg in the stable.

Tim Chapman is a teacher and former Michigan high school football coach who authored the book "ChampioN Underdog" about the 1995 Northwestern Rose Bowl team (available on Amazon). Follow him via Twitter: @Champion_Lit. Email him at nufbhistorian@gmail.com.