No positions have had more success in finding a way from spring football to the NFL over the last half-decade than specialists. Of the 22 XFL, USFL or UFL players currently on NFL active rosters, almost half (10) are either punters, long snappers or kickers. This despite there being fewer roster spots at those positions on spring football and NFL teams than their offensive or defensive contemporaries.
For the fourth year in a row, the XFL/UFL has partnered with former NFL and XFL kicker Nick Novak, who runs Novak Kicking & Consulting, to host a Specialist Showcase in California. This is the only Showcase of the year to feature special teams-specific players.
As always, this list is compiled from those who have made their participation in this Showcase public on social media. Novak’s Instagram page also highlighted the top performers at each position.
If you are a player or you know a player attending a future Showcase, DM me on social media @gregmparks (Twitter/X), @gregmparks.bsky.social (Bluesky) or @g_man9784 (Instagram) to be profiled in a future article.
K Kenneth Almendares, Louisiana: The Lou Groza Award winner for best kicker in college football in 2024, Almendares hails from Honduras. His college career began as a kickoff specialist for Louisiana, eventually developing into the top field goal kicker in the country. He’s in the record books at Louisiana for having kicked the most field goals and extra points in school history. As a senior, he was 27-for-29 on field goals. The sixth-ranked kicker coming out in 2025 by Dane Brugler in The Athletic, Almendares settled for a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers at rookie minicamp after the draft. He was not signed.
K Blake Barribeau, Palm Beach Atlantic: With the success of Brandon Aubrey in Dallas coming from a soccer background, we may see more players like that gravitate toward football. Barribeau is one of those players. He played on the pitch at Oakland University and then Palm Beach Atlantic as a defender. In particular, he was utilized for long free kicks, showing the skills that eventually led him to Novak’s training school. At the showcase, Barribeau hit 8-of-9 kicks with a long of 60.
P Jack Browning, San Diego State: We see few two-way kickers in college anymore, those that both punt and kick field goals, yet Browning did that at Grossmont University and San Diego State. He did so at such a high level that in 2023, he was named to the watch list for both the Ray Guy Award (nation’s top punter) and Lou Groza Award (nation’s top kicker). His pro prospects were as a punter, where Brugler ranked him seventh in the 2024 draft class. Punting got him signed as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills. He punted and kicked off in five games for Tampa Bay last year, averaging 42.5 yards per punt. He was waived in March after the Bucs signed free agent punter Riley Dixon. Browning was listed as one of the top four punters at Novak’s event.
LS Donato Crisanti, Rhode Island: A five-year full-time snapper for Rhode Island, Crisanti was chosen to play in the 2025 Hula Bowl post-season all-star game. In the lead-up to the draft, he was invited to the local pro day of the New England Patriots. Brugler had him ranked the eighth long snapper in the 2025 class and he was invited to try out at rookie minicamp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
K Jonah Dalmas, Boise State: Measuring in at under 5’8″, Dalmas’s size will work against him as believe it or not, there are certain height requirements special teams coaches like to have even at kicker. Dalmas’s production can’t be ignored, however, as he hit 86% of his field goals in college with a long of 56. Unfortunately, 2024 was a bit of a down year, his worst by percentage (72%). He did have two kicks blocked in college as well. Dalmas was twice a Groza Award semifinalist. He was the top kicker at the UFL Showcase, of 34 who attended, going 9-of-9 with a long kick of 60 yards.
K Eddie Godina, Northwestern State: At Trinity Valley Community College, Godina set an NJCAA record with 26 field goals as a sophomore. He also punted for two seasons at TVCC, averaging 38 yards per punt. His focus was kicking at Northwestern State, though he didn’t get many opportunities in three seasons. He never tried more than 12 field goals in a year at that level and finished just 14-of-27 for his career with six blocked kicks, including four in 2020.
K Kyler Halvorsen, San Jose State: A kickoff specialist for two years at Hawaii – and a good one at that, ranking in the top 10 nationally in average as a freshman and second in the conference as a sophomore – Halvorsen crossed the Pacific to join San Jose State for his last two years. He was good on 68.8% of field goals and 99% of extra points. His range is a bit of a mystery as he never even attempted a field goal over 50 yards in those seasons, setting a long of 45. He was just 3-for-7 on kicks between 40 and 49 yards for the Spartans.
P Ryan Heicher, Arkansas State: Punting since his true freshman days at Saginaw Valley State, Heicher steadily improved each year there before transferring to Arkansas State for his final season. For the Red Wolves, Heicher averaged 43.0 yards per kick on 57 punts, with only two resulting in touchbacks with 20 landing inside the 20 yard-line. Those numbers earned him a look at Indianapolis Colts rookie minicamp, and later, a September workout with the Atlanta Falcons. He was also listed by Novak as one of the top four performers at the position at the Showcase event.
LS Jason Hovis, Juniata College: Playing for a small liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, this kind of workout is tailor-made for a player like Hovis to get noticed. He snapped for the school since his true freshman year of 2019 and made six tackles across those four seasons, including four in his senior year of 2022.
K John Hoyland, Wyoming: An impressive leg is Hoyland’s calling card, as in each of his last three seasons, he connected on field goals of more than 50 yards, with a career-long of 56. His field goal percentage fluctuated a bit more than would be comfortable for scouts, landing as high as 92% in his first season, but dropping down to 65% in 2023 before rebounding to 79% in 2024. Hoyland also kicks off and in his college career, his touchback rate was nearly 50%. As a pro, Hoyland was best known for being brought in to compete to replace longtime Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, signing as an undrafted free agent after a minicamp tryout. He lost the battle to draft pick Tyler Loop and was let go on August 2. Hoyland tied for second place among kickers in the UFL Showcase, hitting 8-of-9 field goals with a long of 60.
LS Cole Jenkins, Buffalo State: As much as any other team in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills like rewarding local players. It’s how Jenkins, a 2022 draft-eligible player, landed two tryouts with the Bills so far during this 2025 NFL season when the team has had punters in for workouts. Hey, they needed someone to snap to them. But Jenkins has gotten more than courtesy tryouts, including an invitation to New England Patriots minicamp in 2023. After his time at Buff State, he snapped in the FCS National Bowl for the top draft-eligible players at the FCS level, and then the Hula Bowl, another post-season all-star game.
K Arshad Khan: In 2017, Khan won the reality series in India called, “Million Dollar Kick,” a play on the “Million Dollar Arm” series that spawned a Disney movie and a pro baseball contract for its winner. A soccer goalie in college, Khan kicked a 61-yard field goal in India and won $15,000 as part of the series prize. He’s been in America for some time working on his field goal kicking skills and has played in semi-pro leagues to hone those skills. An appearance at this Showcase is just another step in Khan’s journey.
LS Jack Landherr, UCLA: The 10th-ranked snapper by Brugler in the 2023 NFL Draft, Landherr was signed by the Denver Broncos midway through August of that year after working out at their rookie minicamp a few months earlier. A four-year snapper at UCLA, Landherr was a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the top long snapper in the country, as a senior. He was the starting long snapper for four seasons at UCLA. At the Showcase, he had a perfect score on eight snaps both short and long, with the laces in correct position on each snap.
K Michael Lantz, USC: Even special teams players have taken on nomadic tendencies in this new age of college football transfers. Lantz’s career began at Minnesota, where he was 8-of-11 on field goals as a freshman. As a sophomore, he was used as a kickoff specialist and ended up redshirting. From there, he moved to Georgia Southern. In his first year, he only kicked off save for two long field goal attempts from beyond 50 (missing both). In his second year, he was good on 82% of his tries as the main kicker. His one year at USC saw him hit two-thirds of his field goals, including his first (and only) from beyond 50 yards in his college career (he was 1-for-6 from that distance). Lantz earned a minicamp tryout with the Los Angeles Chargers after the draft in 2025.
P Caleb Lightbourn, Idaho: Good size for a punter at 6’2″ and 220 pounds, Lightbourn kicked in 32 games for Nebraska over three years, then transferred to Oregon State for a season before ending up at FCS Idaho. He saved his best for last, averaging nearly 44 yards per punt with the Vandals, placing 14 of 39 inside the 20 with only two touchbacks. He was with Edmonton in the CFL for a short time in 2022 and has also worked out at previous UFL Specialist Showcases. Per Novak’s scoring, Lightbourn was the top punter at the Showcase.
LS Drew Little, North Carolina: A five-year snapper for the Tar Heels, Little jumped right into the fire as a true freshman, playing in all 13 games. He showed durability, playing in every game four out of his five seasons, registering a total of eight tackles on punt coverage. Little has appeared on the Patrick Mannelly Award watchlist while in college. A 5.19 40-yard dash at his pro day gives some pause to his downfield coverage ability in the pros. Little didn’t appear on any team rosters at rookie minicamp but did try out with the Tennessee Titans in July. He also had a perfect score snapping at the Showcase.
LS Ryan Navarro, Oregon State: The 31-year-old has been around the football block, spending time in NFL training camps with the Oakland (yes, Oakland) Raiders and Washington Redskins (yes, Redskins). He played spring football in the AAF in 2019 with the Memphis Express, then with the L.A. Wildcats of XFL 2020 and the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL in 2022 and 2023. Playing in the UFL would give him spring football bingo. Navarro was a two-year starting snapper at Oregon State, having come from Riverside City College. Navarro was one of three long snappers at the Showcase that had eight perfect snaps.
P Ryan Sanborn, Texas: A two-time captain at Stanford, Sanborn went to Texas for his final year in 2023. In three seasons, Sanborn’s longest punt went over 60 yards and in his one season as a Longhorn, he had a strong 42.8 net average. Out of 232 total punts, he only had one blocked. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and while he didn’t make the team, he did spend a few weeks on the practice squad of the Los Angeles Rams during the regular season. Brugler ranked him as the eighth-best punter in the 2024 draft. Sanborn was listed as one of the four top punting performers at the Showcase.
K Calum Sutherland, Louisiana-Monroe: Sutherland’s tenure at Oklahoma ended in controversy when he was suspended after three games in 2019 amid a Title IX investigation when his girlfriend accused him of physically assaulting her. Sutherland transferred for the next season and had to sit out due to transfer rules in what seems like a quaint idea today. At ULM, Sutherland’s final season was his best in which he hit 10-of-11 field goals (nearly 91%) with a long of 54. This year, he kicked for the Fishers Freight of the Indoor Football League.
K Luke Zurak, Western Michigan: A punter and kicker while at Butler, Zurak’s numbers certainly indicated more of a future as a kicker instead of punter. In four years, he averaged just under 40 yards per punt with only 35 of 124 landing inside the 20. He spent only two years as a placekicker, but you wouldn’t have known it from his stats: In his first year, he hit a game-winning 56-yard field goal as time expired to beat San Diego. It was one of 12 field goals he made, connecting on 80% and winning the conference Special Teams Player of the Year Award. He followed that up with an 85% performance the next year. For his finale, Zurak transferred to Western Michigan, focusing solely on kicking. There, he made 13-of-15 field goals with a long of 48 yards.
