2026 ST Preview

[catdaddyp]

Kicker:

M. Schramm had a solid first season with the Zips, splitting time with former kicker O. Wiley. Schramm went 16-of-17 on extra points and 12-of-13 on field goals, with his only miss coming from beyond 40 yards. Based on last season’s production, he should enter 2026 as the clear favorite to handle field goal and extra point duties.

 

J. Westrich has been added for what I assume is primarily kickoff duties, as that was his main responsibility at the Division II level last season. While he possesses a strong leg, he went 0-for-5 on field goal attempts, which suggests his path to playing time is likely through kickoffs rather than challenging Schramm as the primary placekicker.

 

 

Punter:

J. Castle had his best season to date averaging nearly 43 yards per punt. He also split some snaps with former punter B. Johnson.

 

I believe A. Satire is being brought in primarily as a punter to compete with Castle. He did not play as a freshman at West Virginia this past season.

 

 

Long Snapper:

F. Miner was the backup at long snapper in 2025 and will compete with portal addition S. Dean for the starting role this coming season.

 

 

Returner:

B. Hills is set to reprise his role as the main kickoff returner. His competition will likely come from S. Patrick, T. Thomas, and JUCO addition G. Hilburn. On punt return, it’ll likely be the same competition of players as kickoff return, except Patrick should be the lead man.

 

 

Looking forward:

I believe most specialists are non-scholarship players for Akron, with the exception of whoever earns the starting jobs. So typically only three scholarships are allocated to special teams. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if one more kicker is brought in before fall camp.

 

 

Returning:

P - Castle (Sr.)

LS - Miner (R. Sr.)

K - Schramm (R. So.)

 

New:

LS - Dean (Jr.) = DII

K - Westrich (R. So.) = DII

P - Stire (R. Fr.) = West Virginia 

 

Out:

LS - Dennis (Gr.)

P - Johnson (Gr.)

K - Samaha = Eastern Michigan 

K - Wiley = Portal