Position Preview: Special Teams

A look at the special teams units for Syracuse.

Mike McAllister | Aug 8, 2021

Position Preview: Special Teams /

Special Teams

Kicker: Andre Szmyt - Szmyt is a former Lou Groze Award winner and is considered one of the best kickers in college football. He will look to continue his stellar play this season

Punter/Kicker: James Williams - Replacing Nolan Cooney will not be easy, but Williams was brought in during the 2020 recruiting cycle to be the long-term answer. This is his year to show he can be just that. Williams can also be the primary backup to Szmyt.

Punter: Colby Barker - Barker will battle Williams for the starting punter position. Barker is an Ohio State lacrosse transfer who is transitioning to football to play for Syracuse. Barker is originally from Pittsford, N.Y.

Longsnapper: Aaron Bolinsky - Bolinsky is one of the better longsnappers in the ACC and in the country. He is as solid as it gets.

Returner: Trebor Pena - Pena showed a lot of promise as a returner last season, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He is expected to be the full-time guy as a kick returner, but will he field punts as well? Or will Syracuse turn to another option like Duce Chestnut, Cooper Lutz, JaVontae Williams or somewhere else? That is the biggest question with the special teams unit entering the season.

Coverage Units: Syracuse specials teams have been among the best in the nation the last few seasons. That includes the coverage units. However, this year will be the first without Justin Lustig, who left to coach at Vanderbilt. How the Orange responds without Lustig will be an area to watch this season.

Published Aug 8, 2021

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.