OSU football position preview: A look at the special teams unit

Ashton Slaughter Staff Reporter

The OSU special teams unit has an intrusive blend of both new and familiar faces.

With Tanner Brown and Tom Hutton departing, the phrase “out with the old, in with the new” rings true (and no, not just because Hutton turned 33 this March).

Brown had a solid career as a collegiate placekicker, joining the Cowboys his senior season as a walk-on and becoming a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate PlaceKicker Award his super-senior season. Now, Brown is with the Los Angeles Rams and looks to be the starting kicker for the franchise that recently won the Super Bowl in 2022.

Since Brown’s in the big leagues, Alex Hale is expected to be OSU’s starting placekicker. Hale, a redshirt senior, should ring a bell for Cowboys fans since he was a Lou Groza semifinalist himself in 2020 before tearing his ACL before Bedlam in pregame warmups. After his injury, Hale saw action in the last two seasons but lost the starting role to Brown.

Hale’s experience is a plus, but he’ll need to remain consistent for the Cowboys to make a considerable impact. Luckily for him, though, it’s his job to lose. His only competitor seems to be Logan Ward, the redshirt sophomore who stepped in as punter for OSU following Hutton’s season-ending injury last season.

Although Ward played well, totaling 45 yards per punt, the Cowboys beefed up the punter position on the roster following Hutton’s departure. These additions include Hudson Kaak, a freshman from ProKick

Australia who was the No. 3 punter in the class of 2023, and Wes Pahl, a walk-on transfer from Western Kentucky.

Another former Cowboy gone pro is Matt Hembrough, who’s now with the Arizona Cardinals after an AllAmerican-winning career at long snapper. Now, Zeke Zarazoga, a redshirt senior who served as Hembrough’s backup the last three seasons, will be starting for OSU.

Finally, the returners. Brennan Presley and Jaden Nixon will continue to hold down the fort in the return game. Presley averages 26.9 yards per return on his career, and Nixon averages 26.7 on his career, so if a ball is kicked to them in the endzone, they’re more than likely going to get more yards taking it out rather than letting the kick be a touchback. sports.ed@ocolly.com

The loss of wide receiver John Paul Richardson to TCU opens up a spot for a backup returner; it’ll be interesting to see who fills that role. Other than that, it’ll be the explosive, twitchy duo of Presley and Nixon returning kicks and punts.

Overall, the unit is a mixed bag: consistency, inconsistency, fresh faces, familiar faces, newcomers, and departures.

Q: “What made you get into kicking field goals?”

Bailey: “That’s a good question. I mean, mainly soccer. So honestly, it seems to be a common thing for most guys that kick for a long time. I mean, it was literally a thing of like, I’m in eighth grade, I’m playing soccer, my buddies are playing football – it’s like a peer pressure thing. I started playing football and we needed somebody to just kick off and start the game, and it just went from there.”

Q: “What was it like to reach the pro level and sustain it for as long as you did?”

Bailey: “Looking back on it now, not in a million years would I have thought I would have taken that trajectory. I mean, even coming here to Stillwater, I felt like I was good enough to play Division I; I felt like I could be successful. But to have a 10-year career post-college was just not really something that was on the front of my brain when I first got here. It’s a testament to the university too, because Mike was here, great coaching staff, great strength staff. Everybody: the fans, the community, it all plays a part, for sure.”

Q: “Is there as much pressure in a last-second field goal as there would seem to be?”

Bailey: “You definitely feel the pressure, but I wouldn’t say you’re anxious. There’s no anxiety other than you just want to get out there and do it. You’re confident, you’ve been there before, you trained for that. And then the more you’re exposed to it, the more comfortable you do get in those situations as long as you’re having success.

So, I don’t know, I liked it. That’s one of the things I miss – those close games you watch on TV, and you know exactly what’s going through those kids’ heads. You definitely understand the situation, but it’s just one of those things that you’ve trained for, and hopefully you thrive in those scenarios.”

Q: “NFL or college, do you have a field goal that stick out most?”

Bailey: “I would have to say when we played a Thursday night game against Texas A&M. It was kind of early in the year, and I think we were both ranked decently. I had a game winner at the end of regulation. So that probably sticks out from college. As far as the NFL, it’s hard to really pick one for that. I mean, there was a lot of close games really throughout my whole career.”

Bailey’s 41-yard field goal against Texas A&M with no time on the clock gave the Cowboys a 38-35 walk-off win in Stillwater.

Q: “What was it like to rejoin with OSU teammate Dez Bryant with the Dallas Cowboys?”

Bailey: “It was awesome. I mean, Dez, just raw talent, is probably one of the most talented players I’ve ever been around, and it was fun to see him as a freshman and then (progress) however many years he played (in the NFL). Just a fun guy to be around.

I’ve always said this about Dez: It doesn’t matter what game you’re playing, like, I’m picking him first. It could be throwing horseshoes or playing washers or whatever, but I’m picking Dez first because you know he’s gonna give you everything has.” sports.ed@ocolly.com