Ohio Football: Catching up with Special Teams
8/21/2023 2:30:00 PM | Football
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ATHENS, Ohio— Special teams don't spend a lot of time on the field, but the minute they hit the turf, the spotlight is on them. It's a unique lifestyle that isn't for everyone, but Ohio has a strong group of specialists for the 2023 season.Â
Only three of the six specialists are returners: punter Jack Wilson and long snappers Justin Holloway and Ben Bergfeld.Â
Wilson and Holloway are the only returners who saw playing time last season. Wilson appeared in 13 games where he tallied 43 punts and averaged over 37 yards per punt. Holloway appeared in all 14 games. Bergfeld opted to redshirt. Â
"We've got a pretty fresh room at the moment, so the chemistry, in the beginning, was a little bit off just because we lost some guys. We had some guys transfer and some guys finished up their time," Wilson said. "It's coming along. We spend a lot of time together being on the sideline, so you get to know each other really well and we're starting to gel a lot better."Â
New to Ohio for 2023 are kickers Gianni Spetic and Alex Kasee, along with punter Jared Wheatley. Wheatley came to Ohio as a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt.Â
Septic and Kasee, however, are both freshmen. They've seen plenty of time at the high school level, but kicking in college is a different task.
"They're both super talented, so we feel good about them, but neither of them have kicked in a college environment before, so that's going to be different for them," special teams coordinator Nate Faanes said.Â
It's been tough to navigate a new room, however, coach Faanes is confident in his group. Fall Camp provided the specialists a space to bond and get acclimated with each other. Faanes knows that the personalities of the group will mesh well together. They're all fun to be around.Â
The life of a specialist is different than that of any other position. The lifestyle is a trade-off, though. Their pressure isn't always in the preseason but rather in the heat of a game. However, they recognize that's not the case for some of their teammates.
It's a unique position group because they have a little bit more time during practice to relax and their bodies don't wear down as fast as another position group.
"When they're in meetings where we're not really. We're doing our thing, getting treatment, whatever we need to do," Bregfeld said. "It's kind of nice to get a little bit extra time and take care of our bodies so we don't wear down quite as much as they do. It's a little more stressful in the season but not more stressful than their life is right now."
The specialists hope to grow this year, and they know that by doing so, they'll be able to help their team win. They're looking forward to getting better and getting to win with their team.Â
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