GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There are fanbases that like to claim they are Wide Receiver University. Others claim their school is QBU or LBU.
Based on NFL rosters, Florida might be Special Teams U.
Three specialists were drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft; two of them were from Florida: kicker Trey Smack and punter Tommy Doman.
It is just the fourth time since the NFL-AFL merger that a college has had both a kicker and punter selected in the same draft. Long snapper Rocco Underwood also signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent and made their initial 53-man roster.
It doesn’t stop with the 2026 class for UF specialists represented in the NFL, however.
Jeremy Crawshaw (Denver Broncos punter), Tommy Townsend (Tennessee Titans punter), Eddy Pineiro (San Francisco 49ers kicker) and Evan McPherson (Cincinnati Bengals kicker) were all Gators, too, making Florida the only college that has three punters and three kickers on active rosters.
New special teams coordinator Jonathan Galante, who comes with head coach Jon Sumrall from Tulane, understands that storied history.
“Great pride. This place has a history of tradition for winning, but when it comes down to special teams here,” Galante said. “There’s a history of tradition for great specialists.”
Galante also played at Virginia Tech under Frank Beamer, who was known for his special teams approach.
While Florida’s specialists have performed well in recent seasons, Galante and Sumrall have talked about increasing explosive plays on special teams. They want blocked kicks, long returns, fewer penalties and, every once in a while, a trick play.
With the additions Florida made heading into Sumrall’s first season, it does not seem as if producing NFL-worthy specialists will come to a halt.
Welcome back: P Nicholas Inglis (6-5, 227, Jr.), K Brandon Rabasco (6-4, 215, Jr.).
Hello: K Liam Padron (5-9, 191, Jr., transfer/Texas A&M), K Patrick Durkin (5-9, 189, Jr., transfer/Tulane), LS Hunter Solwold (6-3, 232, So., transfer/Washington), LS Carter Milliron (5-11, 236, 5th, transfer/Louisiana), LS Lincoln Anderson (6-2, 243, Fr.), P Alec Clark (6-0, 186, transfer/Tulane).
Goodbye: K Trey Smack (drafted/Green Bay Packers), P Tommy Doman (drafted/Buffalo Bills), P Hayden Craig (transfer/LSU), K Evan Noel (transfer/Houston), LS Mack Mulhern (transfer/LSU), LS Rocco Underwood (UDFA/Philadelphia Eagles).
OVERVIEW
Sumrall did not bring a bulk of his Tulane roster to Gainesville. He brought just two players, kicker Patrick Durkin and punter Alec Clark. Durkin was the American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 2025. He was 25-for-29 (89.29%) on field goals, 4 of 6 from 50+, and 41 of 42 on extra points. His longest field goal was 52 yards, which he made twice. He was also Tulane’s kickoff specialist, notching 69 touchbacks on 80 kickoffs. Durkin is the starting placekicker and kickoff specialist for the Gators in Week 1. Liam Padron will serve as Durkin’s backup for field goals and extra points, while Brandon Rabasco will be his backup for kickoffs.
Kicker Patrick Durkin was the American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 2025 at Tulane. (Photo: Audrey Djuricich/UAA Communications)
Clark followed Galante from Marshall to New Orleans. He was the Thundering Herd’s starting punter in 2024 and the Green Wave’s in 2025. Last season, Clark averaged 46.5 yards per punt, a career high. His longest punt of the season was in Week 1 against Northwestern when he sent one 70 yards. He’ll be punting and holding for Durkin to start the season. Backing him up on both is Nicholas Inglis. The Gators’ starting long snapper is Carter Milliron. Milliron long-snapped for all of Louisiana’s 40 games in his first three seasons (2022-2024), then long-snapped in four games in 2025 before deciding to redshirt. Snapping on field goals and extra points is freshman Lincoln Anderson. Anderson was a 4.5-star recruit by Kohl’s recruiting rankings. Anderson will also back up Milliron, and Milliron will back up Anderson. Interestingly, both are from Hoover, Alabama, and played at Hoover High School.
As for the return game, running back London Montgomery and cornerback J’Vari Flowers open the season atop the depth chart. Montgomery returned five kickoffs for East Carolina in 2025, tallying 114 total return yards, with a long return of 53 yards. Flowers does not have returning experience on the collegiate stage, but did in high school. He was also a track star in high school. After winning a state title in the 100-meter dash and the 4×400 relay, he was named the Miami Herald Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Wideout Vernell Brown III will handle the punt-returning duties. He was the Gators’ primary punt and kick returner as a freshman last season. He was one of two freshmen in FBS last season to have five punt returns of 20-plus yards.
If season started today: Florida has its guys at each position ready to go. The Gators will also have about two backups waiting in the reserves, although injuries to kickers, punters, and long snappers are rare. With proven guys, the Gators have the opportunity to elevate their overall performance with special teams.
Speculation: It’s reasonable to speculate that the Gators will be far more aggressive on special teams under Sumrall, who has talked about the success the Gators had on special teams during the Urban Meyer years. UF has lacked creativity and game-changing plays on special teams in recent years, so look for that to change with the more aggressive philosophy.
Quote of note: “Our philosophy will be to return the ball when it’s in the field of play. We want to take advantage of that play. The opportunities are less frequent, but we still want to take advantage of that. We’d like to put one in the end zone. That, again, is a huge change of momentum in the football game if you can score on special teams. We’d love to do that.” — Special teams coach Galante
Up next: Wide Receivers