Few units on Michigan State's roster underwent a more complete makeover this offseason than the specialists room, and the reason is simple: Pat Fitzgerald's biggest outside hire wasn't an offensive or defensive assistant, it was LeVar Woods.

Woods, who spent 18 years at Iowa before being brought in as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, inherited a group that lost its top punter, top kicker, and top long snapper from the 2025 roster. Ryan Eckley, a First-Team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American punter, opted to forgo his final season of eligibility for the NFL Draft. Long snapper Jack Wills departed via the transfer portal, and placekicker Martin Connington transferred to Kansas.

Rather than treat that turnover as a problem, Woods used his connections from Iowa City and beyond to completely rebuild the room from scratch, bringing in proven Big Ten production at punter, a well-traveled veteran at kicker, and a Power Four long snapper, while also stacking the room with two of the more sought-after high school specialists in the country. It amounts to one of the more veteran-laden specialist groups MSU has fielded in years, even if almost none of the names are familiar to Spartan fans just yet.

Spartans Illustrated breaks down the punters, kickers, and long snappers set to handle business in the trenches of MSU's third phase in 2026.

Punters

Michigan State's Rhys Dakin punts the ball during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Rhys Dakin (junior)

There isn't much mystery about who is atop the punter depth chart. Dakin followed Woods to East Lansing from Iowa, where the Australian standout was one of the most productive punters in the country his first two seasons in Iowa City.

As a true freshman in 2024, Dakin appeared in all 13 games and punted 64 times for 2,822 yards, good for a 44.1-yard average with 29 punts pinned inside the opponent's 20-yard line, a mark that led the Big Ten. That season earned him FWAA Freshman All-America honors, a second-team All-Big Ten nod from the media, and a third-team selection from the coaches. In 2025, Dakin punted 42 times for 1,833 yards (43.6-yard average) with a long of 65 yards and 18 punts inside the 20, adding an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.

Across his two seasons as a Hawkeye, Dakin compiled 106 punts for 4,655 yards, a 43.9-yard career average, with 47 of those punts landing inside the 20 and just eight touchbacks. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Dakin — who trained through the well-regarded ProKick Australia program before arriving stateside — will have two years of eligibility remaining after entering the transfer portal on Jan. 1 and committing to MSU three days later, choosing the Spartans in large part because of his prior relationship with Woods.

Dakin is replacing an NFL-bound punter in Eckley, but MSU didn't downgrade at the position. If anything, the Spartans may have found someone with an even higher statistical ceiling given his track record against Big Ten competition.

Michigan State's Alex Weeks punts the ball during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect).

Alex Weeks (redshirt freshman)

Backing up Dakin is Weeks, a Northern Arizona transfer who reunited with special teams assistant Josh Robinson, his position coach with the Lumberjacks in 2025.

The 6-foot-4, 191-pound Weeks appeared in just one game as a true freshman at NAU, recording five kickoffs for 248 yards in his collegiate debut against Portland State. He didn't punt in a game action last season, allowing him to preserve his redshirt, and he'll have four seasons of eligibility remaining at MSU.

Out of Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, Weeks was regarded as a five-star punting prospect in the 2025 class and the No. 15 punter nationally, according to Chris Sailer Kicking, which praised his size, leg strength, and kickoff ability. He's unlikely to see the field in a significant role in 2026 behind Dakin, but he gives the Spartans a developmental option with size and a strong leg for the future while having the ability to step in if critical depth needs arise.

Kickers

Michigan State's Liam Boyd kicks a field goal during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect).

Liam Boyd (fifth-year senior)

Boyd arrives at his fourth school in five years of college football.

A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Boyd began his career at Clemson, where he redshirted as a freshman in 2022. He transferred to North Carolina, where he handled kickoff duties as a redshirt freshman in 2023, averaging 62.4 yards on 66 kickoffs with 49 touchbacks (74 percent) and adding three special teams tackles. Boyd moved on to Charlotte for the 2025 season, where he took over placekicking duties full time and converted 9-of-12 field goal attempts (75 percent) with a long of 42 yards, while going a perfect 15-for-15 on extra points for 42 total points.

For his career, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Boyd is 10-for-13 (76.9 percent) on field goals and 22-for-22 on extra points. He committed to MSU on Jan. 6 after entering the transfer portal, crediting the relationship between his personal kicking coach and Woods — the two share a connection through former Iowa kicker Drew Stevens — for helping steer him to East Lansing.

Two of Boyd's misses last season came from inside 30 yards, so there's room for him to tighten up his accuracy on the shorter attempts. But he arrives with more game snaps at the position than anyone else in the room and is the favorite to open the season as the Spartans' starting placekicker.

(Photo courtesy of MSU Athletics)

Stephen Gonzales (true freshman)

Gonzales gives the Spartans a long-term answer at the position and is one of the more decorated high school kicking prospects in the 2026 class.

Out of Union Academy in Monroe, North Carolina, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Gonzales was rated a five-star kicker by Kohl's Kicking, which considered him a candidate for the strongest leg in the entire recruiting cycle, and was ranked as the No. 4 kicker in the class by Kohl's, and No. 10 by ESPN. He tied for the county lead with 10 field goals as a senior in 2025 and added 26 extra points, connecting on field goals from 53 yards twice — and 57 yards once — during his junior season. He also handled kickoff duties throughout his prep career, totaling 127 kickoffs for 7,252 yards and 96 touchbacks.

Gonzales credited his relationship with Woods as a driving factor in his commitment, which came on Feb. 8 after an under-the-radar official visit to campus.

He's expected to serve as Boyd's primary backup as a true freshman, giving the Spartans a developmental leg with big-time power for years to come.

Long Snappers

Oregon Ducks long snapper Nick Duzansky (96) during pregame against the Washington State Cougars at Autzen Stadium; Oct 21, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA. (Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect).

Nick Duzansky (redshirt junior)

Duzansky arrives from Oregon, where he never fully broke through as a starter but picked up valuable experience in a College Football Playoff-caliber program.

The 6-foot-5, 197-pound Duzansky appeared in eight total games across three seasons with the Ducks. As a true freshman in 2023, he played in four regular-season games (Portland State, Hawai'i, California, Arizona State) and saw action in the Fiesta Bowl against Liberty. He did not see game action in 2024, then appeared in three games in 2025 (Montana State, Oklahoma State, Rutgers). Off the field, Duzansky was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection at Oregon.

A native of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, out of St. Francis High School, Duzansky was rated a five-star long snapper and the No. 7 overall snapper in the 2023 class by Rubio Long Snapping. He committed to MSU on Jan. 18 and enrolled in East Lansing for the spring semester, giving him a full spring camp to establish himself with Dakin and the rest of the specialists group. Duzansky has two years of eligibility remaining.

One notable connection: Duzansky was a high school teammate of quarterback Alessio Milivojevic at St. Francis. Additionally, his brother, Tyler, snapped at Penn State and recently signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent.

Duzansky enters fall camp as the presumptive starter after Woods departure.

(Photo courtesy of MSU Athletics)

Trey Serauskis (true freshman)

While Duzansky brings the experience, Serauskis brings a national pedigree as a true freshman. He's widely considered one of the best long-snapping prospects to sign with the Spartans in recent memory.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Serauskis, out of Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort, Illinois, was ranked the No. 2 long snapper in the 2026 class by the 247Sports Composite and earned a spot in the Navy All-American Bowl as one of the top specialists in the country. He also drew interest from Toledo, Arkansas, Louisville and San Diego State before committing to Michigan State on Jan. 16 — making him the second Chicago-area player, joining receiver/returner Zach Washington, to sign with the Spartans as Fitzgerald leaned into his Chicagoland recruiting roots.

Serauskis didn't specialize in long snapping until his sophomore year of high school, when he began working on the skill informally with his father before turning it into a full-time craft. His relationship with Woods, forged during the recruiting process, was a significant factor in his commitment.

With Duzansky holding down the starting job for at least the short term, Serauskis is positioned as insurance behind him, giving MSU a snapper with a five-star pedigree who could push for time as his career progresses and could be the long-term answer once Duzansky's eligibility runs out.

Returners

Michigan State's Chrishon McCray runs after a catch during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect).

Woods has given praise for three players in particular as his expected top return men during fall camp. Those include running back and special teams ace Kenneth Williams (a Detroit native), wide receiver Chrishon McCray, and wide receiver Braylon Collier. However, the position remains open to others who might have made an impact in fall camp or throughout the season.

Outlook

If there's a theme to Michigan State's 2026 specialists room, it's that almost nobody in it has ever kicked, punted, or snapped a ball in a Spartan uniform — and that's by design. Woods didn't inherit this group so much as he built it, pulling proven Big Ten production in Dakin, well-traveled experience in Boyd, and a Power Four snapper in Duzansky, while stacking two blue-chip true freshmen in Gonzales and Serauskis behind them.

Given Woods' track record at Iowa — seven All-American honors for his specialists since 2019, including two for punter Tory Taylor and one for kicker Keith Duncan — MSU fans have real reason for optimism that a phase of the game that was already a relative strength last season (Eckley's All-American campaign) won't take much of a step back, even with almost entirely new faces handling the football.