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McNeese is looking to make some magic in the second season for Gary Goff in Lake Charles. With facility upgrades and fan support, expectations are high for this group in 2023.
When you look at the special teams unit, there are two key pieces returning at punter and placekicker that will provide stability to a program that has a bunch of new players coming into the locker room this Fall.
Callum Eddings
Eddings enters his third season in Lake Charles after coming to the US from Australia, joining a long list of Australian punters to play college football.
Last season, Eddings had 48 punts for 1,860 yards, giving him an average of 38.75 yards per punt. He had two touchbacks, 21 fair catches, and 17 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Having that level of experience back at the punting position is imperative for a second-year head coach because special teams can truly make or break a game if it’s a low-scoring affair. I would look for McNeese to utilize their weapons in special teams to help them find success in 2023.
Garrison Smith
Smith had a great season for Gary Goff a year ago and may be one of the more underrated kickers in the country.
Smith transferred to McNeese from Ohio State after not playing in 2021 as a walk-on. For the first year in Lake Charles, the Norwalk, Ohio native connected on 10 of 11 field goals on the season, with his one miss coming from the 30-39 yard range. He also had 44 kickoffs for an average of 61.4 yards per kick, 27 touchbacks, and only three kicks going out of bounds.
With a full season under his belt, Smith will look to grow even further in his role with the McNeese special teams unit while continuing to fulfill the ranking of being a Top 10 kicker in the country coming out of high school in 2021.