East Lansing — Special teams players who touch the ball — whether with their hands or their feet — draw the spotlight in the third phase of the game.
But the spine of special teams units are those nameless, faceless players blocking for returners, filling lanes on kickoffs and getting downfield to make the best of their punter’s leg.
Building strong special teams units requires teams to find players that buy into making an impact. Michigan State special teams coordinator LeVar Woods is relying on internal development to find the right guys for the job.
“The ultimate title someone can give you is not, ‘I’m a receiver, I’m a running back, or I’m a quarterback.’ It’s that you’re a football player,” Woods said. “And wherever you want me to play, coach, I’m going to go play.”
Woods comes to Michigan State from Iowa, where he was the special teams coordinator under Kirk Ferentz for the past eight seasons during an 18-year run with his alma mater. He produced such gamebreakers as return men Cooper DeJean and Kaden Wetjen, two names Michigan State fans are regrettably familiar with from tough losses to the Hawkeyes in 2023 and 2025. Woods also coached Ray Guy Award-winning punter Tory Taylor.
Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald called Woods a future head coach last month at Big Ten Media Days, and those aspirations are indeed in the dreams of Woods some day. Woods left the Hawkeyes’ nest and the tutelage of Ferentz for the first time in his coaching career to come shape up the Spartans’ special teams units.
“He’s the best special teams coordinator in college football,” Fitzgerald said, “and for us to be able to win and win the way we want to win, we’ve got to be championship-level in all three phases. And he brings an organization, structure, technique, fundamentals, and just overall who he is.”
Chad Wilt and Keith Bhonapha split special teams duties under Fitzgerald’s predecessor Jonathan Smith. Despite working with some inherited talent in kicker Jonathan Kim in 2024 and punter Ryan Eckley the past two seasons, the special teams units struggled last season. Like last season at Iowa, when Wetjen blew open the game for the Hawkeyes and Smith shied away from fielding the Big Ten Punter of the Year in Eckley. Iowa won the game on a walk-off field goal. Fitzgerald, whose son is a backup quarterback for the Hawkeyes, watched from the stands.
“I just felt like one of the big areas that, after watching tape and then being at the State-Iowa game, an area that could really make a huge jump for the team to be successful was special teams,” Fitzgerald said.
Woods brought in key specialists through the transfer portal in punter Rhys Dakin (Iowa), kicker Liam Boyd (Charlotte), long snapper Nick Duzansky (Oregon) and return man Kenneth Williams (Nebraska). He also stashed some young talent in punter Alex Weeks, who played for assistant special teams coordinator Josh Robinson at Northern Arizona, as well as touted freshmen kicker Stephen Gonzales and long snapper Trey Serauskis. Among those already on the roster, Chrishon McCray and Braylon Collier are in the mix as returners.
With the new five-in-five eligibility rule, there are no redshirt considerations for Woods to mind. He has the whole roster at his disposal, and that means he’s on the hunt for football players.
“I feel really good about the guys in this room and on this team,” Woods said. “I can’t wait for the rest of the world to see them at some point. And again, it’s not going to happen right away. Week one, day one, I feel really good about this group, and I think their heads are on straight. Their minds are in the right place, and they’re all looking to develop and move forward.”
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: LeVar Woods building MSU’s special teams out of ‘football players’
Reporting by Connor Earegood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Connor Earegood, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
