FSU Spring Position Preview: Special Teams

Mike Norvell's emphasis on special teams began to pay off in 2022.

With every day, spring camp is drawing closer and closer for Florida State. After wrapping up the Tour of Duty on Thursday, the only thing holding the Seminoles back from hitting the field is one final weekend. It's clear that the team is chopping at the bit to get to work.

READ MORE: Mike Norvell, Josh Storms provide promising update on FSU WR Winston Wright

Head Coach Mike Norvell has put a major emphasis on special teams during his first three years in Tallahassee. Florida State finally began to see the fruit of some of those labors in 2022 as the unit took multiple steps forward. The most noticeable was the amount of effort that players put forth on kickoff, kickoff return, punt, and punt return - led by Wyatt Rector and Brendan Gant.

Starting punt returner Mycah Pittman was among the top-15 at his spot in the country, averaging 9.4 yards per return and providing some stability at the position. The production on the kick return unit was up and down at times but Trey Benson still produced the first touchdown return for the program since the national championship victory against Auburn in 2014.

Obviously, one unit that needs improvement and consistency is the field goal team. Ryan Fitzgerald made the game-winning kick against Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl but only finished 12/20 on the season. His confidence struggles were evident at times which is one reason that the Seminoles brought in Tyler Keltner to push him for the job.

Departures:

LS Garrett Murray, KR Sam McCall, PR Ontaria Wilson, PR Jammie Robinson

The Seminoles have a couple of players moving on. True freshman Sam McCall saw the most time out of the four last season and had trouble hitting holes, only averaging 17.8 yards per kickoff return. Ontaria Wilson recorded the longest punt return of the year with a 51-yard effort on a trick play against North Carolina State.

Returners:

K Ryan Fitzgerald, P Alex Mastromanno, P Mac Chiumento, LS James Rosenberry, PR Mycah Pittman, KR Trey Benson

The good news is that Florida State has a lot of experience coming back on the kicking units and return units as well as players who can contribute on multiple special teams units. Pittman is a big boost as a punt returner while Mastromanno has been solid throughout his career.

New Additions:

K Tyler Keltner, LS Peyton Naylor

It got to a point last season where Florida State felt more comfortable going for it on fourth down and attempting two-point conversations than putting its trust in Fitzgerald. The Seminoles are trying to alleviate some of those troubles by bringing in Tyler Keltner, who was a two-time second-team All-Southern Conference selection at East Tennessee State. He was 56/74 on field goal attempts and 131/131 on extra-point attempts during his three years with the program. Keltner holds ETSU records for fields goals and PATs made. He's second in career points with 299 and has a career-long of 54 yards.

Projected Depth Chart:

Kicker:

1. Ryan Fitzgerald

2. Tyler Keltner

Punter:

1. Alex Mastromanno

2. Mac Chiumento

Long snapper:

1. James Rosenberry 

2. Peyton Naylor

Punt Returner:

1. Mycah Pittman

2. Rodney Hill/Winston Wright

Kick Returner:

1. Trey Benson

2. Mycah Pittman

3. Rodney Hill/Deuce Spann/Winston Wright

Mastromanno, James Rosenberry, and Pittman are all relatively set in their roles. What will be interesting to watch is the competition between Fitzgerald and Keltner. Plus, should the Seminoles continue to utilize their top running back as a kick returner? That balance will be interesting to watch with Winston Wright returning this spring. 

Spring Outlook:

There aren't any reasons on paper of why Florida State's special teams unit shouldn't continue to elevate its play starting in the spring. The Seminoles have shored up one of the questionable spots on the roster by adding in Keltner to battle with Fitzgerald. At the very least, Fitzgerald will have to up his level of play and consistency to hold on to the starting job. Keltner was 17/23 on field goal attempts and 38/38 on extra-point attempts last season.

One thing to watch is the explosiveness of the return units. Can Pittman boost his average yards per punt return into the double digits? Will the kick return team take a step forward with players such as Benson, Wright, Rodney Hill, and Deuce Spann in the fold?

Wright could be a game-changer if he's able to return to his old self. During his three years at West Virginia, he returned 50 kickoffs for 1,236 yards and two touchdowns. That included a career-high 23 returns for 618 yards (26.9 YPR) and one score in 2021.

Previous Spring Position Previews:

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receivers

Offensive Line

Linebackers 

Defensive Backs

READ MORE: FSU Athletic Director Michael Alford makes a strong case for the Seminoles to leave the ACC

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 offseason

Follow NoleGameday on Twitter and Facebook