Special teams are frequently the afterthought of our football knowledge until a last-minute field goal is needed. So much of the analytics tells us that an advantage in this phase of the game is huge. For example, teams who block a punt have roughly an 80% chance of winning that game. We cannot overlook what field position, turnovers, and big returns can do for a team outside of the obvious field goals and extra points. These five men have mastered the craft and are vital to their team’s success while not getting nearly the publicity they deserve.
Jeff Banks
Texas
While many of you only remember Banks for the bizarre Halloween story surrounding his girlfriend, appropriately named Pole Assassin, he is one of the best, if not the best, in the game, and everyone knows it. Stops at UTEP, Texas A&M, and Alabama as special teams coordinator prior to his time in Austin have vaulted his reputation and put him in the conversation for head coaching jobs, a rarity for this group of coaches. The Washington State alumnus has revitalized the kicking and return games at all of these schools, and there’s a reason he was the only special teams coordinator making over $1 million a year in 2022.
https://twitter.com/UTLONGHORNSNO1/status/1636460476488884240
Mark Tommerdahl
TCU
The Granddaddy of special teams coordinators, Tommerdahl has been at the top levels of the game longer than many of us have been alive. The Minnesota native (like myself) has made a whirlwind of stops at Alabama, New Mexico, Minnesota, Texas A&M, Louisiana Tech, ULM, Cal, Utah State, Purdue, and Texas Tech before TCU. Tommerdahl has coached multiple award-winning punters and kickers, including Austin McNamara, Trey Wolff, Matt Anderson, and Ryan Allen.
https://twitter.com/FootballScoop/status/1594064878633115648
Pete Lembo
South Carolina
Lembo liked coaching special teams so much that he left an FBS head coaching job to go back to it. The Elon and Ball State head coach left Muncie to be special teams coordinator at Maryland under Randy Edsall. Since then, he has made stops at Rice and Memphis before his current position with the Gamecocks. Being the ground floor architect of Beamer Ball isn’t easy, but Lembo has excelled in the role and helped lead the Gamecocks from a two-win 2020 season to back-to-back bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. He’ll never work at a non-P5 team again unless he chooses to on his own.
https://twitter.com/ALyon_SC/status/1635641887636742146
More Sports News
Jay Harbaugh
Michigan
The next Harbaugh to make a name for himself appears to be Jay. The special teams coordinator and son of head coach Jim Harbaugh, he has done wonders with this unit for the Wolverines since his arrival in 2015. He also has a Super Bowl under his belt as a Ravens assistant. Make no mistake; this isn’t a nepotism inclusion on the list. Undoubtedly the connections helped Jay get a foot in the door, but he’s kicked it wide open and used all the tools and resources at his disposal to become a top-notch young coach in the game and a riser within the coaching ranks. A trip back to the NFL sometime soon wouldn’t shock me for him, nor would riding high at elite P5 schools. We are only seeing the beginning of his career trajectory.
https://twitter.com/UMichFootball/status/1609990015832166401
Todd Goebbel
NC State
Goebbel has been one of the most consistent coaches for an NC State program under Dave Doeren that I have praised for its consistency and reliability. The Kent State alumnus has coached multiple positions in addition to his special teams duties in stops at Ohio State, Marshall, and Ohio Dominican before joining the Wolfpack. He mentored punter Trenton Gill who was drafted by the Bears, and Christopher Dunn, who broke many school records. That isn’t including the multiple offensive players he’s coached who’ve gone on to earn awards and NFL careers.
