AMES — Special teams might not take up as many snaps during a football game compared to the offensive and defensive units, but there’s no diminishing the importance of this phase of the game.
Kicker Kyle Konrardy further etched his name in Iowa State football folklore by hitting the game-winning field goal against Iowa and connecting on a record-setting 63-yard field goal against South Dakota, but there are some new faces to know on special teams in 2026.
Here is a breakdown of players to keep an eye on as the Cyclones continue through the offseason with summer workouts and eventually, preseason fall camp.
Kicker
Names to know:
Others to watch: Adlai Lounsbury, R-Fr.; Chase Smith, So.
There won’t be any competition here for the starting job, but the Cyclones are going to hope they won’t need to reach deep into their depth chart for an emergency kicker.
Carson Rhodes, who gained notoriety as a 6-foot-8, 310-pound lineman who also doubled as an emergency kicker, retired from football after the 2025 season. Jace T. Gilbert departed for the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.
The Cyclones are left with three kickers on their roster.
Konrardy will have an opportunity to climb further up some of the program’s all-time kicking record lists. He enters this season ranked 10th in career points with 170 and 10th in career made field goals (35). He also has five career makes from 50+ yards, which is tied for the second-most in school history.
After Konrardy, there will be competition between Smith and Lounsbury for the backup job.
Smith played in five games as a true freshman last season, going 2-for-3 on field goals and 12-for-12 on extra points.
Lounsbury, a Van Meter native and Washington State transfer, is back in his home state and now a part of the program he grew up rooting for. He redshirted last season with the Cougars and didn’t see any action.
Punter
Names to know:
Others to watch: Adlai Lounsbury, R-Fr.
Iowa State bid farewell to Tyler Perkins, who statistically had one of the greatest punting careers in Cyclone history. Perkins, a two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention, was the starting punter for the last four years.
Gurney was originally recruited by Jimmy Rogers when he was still at Washington State, and the Australian punter came along for the ride when they moved over to Iowa State. He is a three-star punter according to 247 Sports Composite, and he is the No. 13 punter recruit in the country for the class of 2026.
While there was a limited sample size for punts at the spring showcase, it is worth noting that Gurney was the first punter to take the field. It may indicate that he is currently the leader for the starting job.
As for DuPont, he returned to Iowa State after redshirting last season. The Cedar Rapids native originally started his career at Iowa Western, where he was a NJCAA Division I All-American second-team punter. He averaged 39.6 yards per punt in 2024. In addition to competing for the starting job, he appeared to be handling holding duties for the Cyclones on field goals and extra points during the spring showcase. Iowa State also needs a new holder, a role that Perkins formerly held.
Lounsbury is listed as both a place kicker and punter on the Cyclones’ 2026 roster, so it’s worth keeping an eye on him as a punter as well.
Long snapper
Names to know:
After two-year long snapper Drew Clausen transferred to Indiana, the Cyclones need a replacement.
That answer may be in the arrival of Schmidt, who has the distinction of being Rogers’ first transfer commit. Schmidt has the most in-game experience of the bunch, serving as Minot State’s long snapper for 21 games over the last two years.
Interestingly enough, Schmidt was also courted by Matt Campbell and went on an unofficial visit to Iowa State last November. Despite the coaching change, he decided to commit to Iowa State. The retention of Rob Grande to oversee special teams on Rogers’ staff may have also solidified that decision for him.
There was a limited sample size during the spring showcase, but Schmidt may be a frontrunner. The other two long snappers, Lyftogt and Schieler, will be competing hard as well, now that there’s a vacancy following Clausen’s departure.
Kick returner
Names to know:
This one-two punch of kick returners was easily predicted on paper, and now, it’s coming to fruition.
While kickoffs had a tiny piece of the spring showcase, Pettaway and Flora were both back to return kicks.
Both players excelled as returners last season, and the prospect of teaming up together on kick return has the humble Flora more than excited.
“Honestly, if we’re at kick return, you got us both back there, who are you going to kick it to?” Flora said. “He’s really dangerous at return, as he’s shown at Bowling Green. That’s something that we can definitely put in our special teams, and I feel like that could be very dangerous in the near future.”
Punt returner
Names to know:
Flora quickly became a fan-favorite for his effort on special teams, recovering a fumble in the season-opener against Kansas State, then breaking off two big punt returns against South Dakota in last season’s home opener.
He was elevated to hero status with a 79-yard go-ahead punt return touchdown in the closing minutes of the Cyclones’ road win at TCU.
While Pettaway, who amassed 900 all-purpose yards as a running back at Bowling Green last season, would instill some competition, it appears that Flora remains the team’s primary punt returner. During the spring showcase, Flora was the first to take the field on punt return units.
It’s for good reason, too, as he’s proven his ability to be a game-changer on punt returns, but Pettaway could emerge as a solid second option moving forward.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Breaking down Iowa State football special teams, Cyclones to know
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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