Michigan Special Teams: One thing I like, one thing I don’t, one thing to watch

The Wolverines will replace its kicker for the second consecutive year, but bring back their starting punter and several options at returner…

Matt Lounsberry | Jul 18, 2024

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines kicker Tommy Doman (19) against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Just one week away from Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, excitement builds for the 2024 college football season. Fall camps across the country are just around the corner, and we are now less than 50 days away from Michigan Football’s season-opener against Fresno State on Aug. 31.

Coming off arguably its best season in program history, the Wolverines bring another loaded roster into 2024 in the form of “Team 145”. In preparation for the upcoming year, it’s a good time to break down each position group for the Wolverines with “one thing I like”, “one thing I don’t” and “one thing to watch”. As we wind down this series, it’s time to look at the third phase of the game of football — Special Teams

One Thing I Like

After being named third team All-Big Ten in 2023, punter Tommy Doman returns for his redshirt junior season after averaging 44.3 yards per punt on 53 attempts last year. Doman had 12 punts of more than 50 yards, and downed 18 inside the 20 yard line with four touchbacks. With the style of football Michigan likes to play, field position is of high importance, and a good punter goes a long way in that battle. According to new head coach Sherrone Moore, Doman had a very good spring and impressed coaches during practices this past March and April.

One Thing I Don’t

For the second consecutive season, Michigan will have to replace its kicker. In 2023, it was Louisville transfer James Turner who had the unenviable job of taking over for Mr. Automatic — Jake Moody. Turner performed admirably throughout the year and came up huge in the win over Ohio State with three second-half field goals. Now, Turner moves on and Michigan has to break in someone new again. Redshirt freshman Adam Samaha appeared to be next in line, but he had an ugly miss in Michigan’s spring game. Moore and new special teams coordinator J.B. Brown went out and added Arkansas State transfer Dominic Zvada out of the portal. It’s rare to find college kickers as reliable as Moody or even Turner were, and a bad kicking game can be costly. Until Samaha and Zvada prove themselves on the field, this will remain a question mark and could be a concern.

One Thing To Watch

Who’s going to returns kicks and punts this year? Sophomore Semaj Morgan is a safe bet. He split time with Jake Thaw as a returner last season before eventually winning the job outright. However, the young wide receiver had a tough performance in the Rose Bowl (along with the rest of Michigan’s special teams), which opens the door for other guys to fill the role. Under Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines mostly went away from using starters as returners following the season-ending injury to Ronnie Bell in the first game of 2021, so that could be another reason why it’s someone other than Morgan this fall. There are several other guys we could see back there, including Amorion Walker, Cole Cabana, or Kendrick Bell. It’s one of the more intriguing questions going into 2024.

In Case You Missed It

This article is part of a series examining every position group on Michigan Football’s 2024 roster. You can find the other position groups that Michigan Wolverines On SI has already covered here: (Quarterback, Running Back, Offensive Line, Tight End, Defensive Line, Edge Rusher, Linebacker, Cornerback, Safety)