Oklahoma State Looking to Be ‘Aggressive’ on Special Teams Under Svoboda, Morris

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STILLWATER — One of the bigger surprises of my rewatch of North Texas’ 2025 season was that All-American receiver Wyatt Young blocked a punt in the first game of the season.

It’s not every day you see a guy who finished in the Top 3 nationally in receiving yards chasing after a punter, but according to Oklahoma State special teams coordinator Drew Svoboda (who had the same role at UNT last season), everyone can help on special teams.

“Oh yeah, if you’ve got a knack to go block punts, we’re gonna get you in there,” Svoboda said. “We’ve blocked a ton of punts in the last few years and gotten our hands on them and really exploded some games wide open because of it. And there’s a knack for that. It’s not just being a fast guy. There’s a knack for being able to block punts, understanding the timing and the body position and where to put your hands, recognizing what kind of punt we’re talking about.

“Yeah, we’ll put whoever we gotta put out there to get the job done.”

Young played 45 total special teams snaps last season, according to PFF — 23 on kick return, 23 on punt return and 15 on punt coverage. Along with his block, he finished with a special teams tackle.

And it wasn’t just Young being a star playing special teams. Linebacker Ethan Wesloski played 169 special teams snaps last season, which ranked third among North Texas Players.

But just because a guy is a good player at his position, doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the best guy for a special teams job.

“We’re gonna put the best guys that are the best at we need them to do,” Svoboda said. “Sometimes it’s a starter on offense, sometimes it’s a starter on defense, sometimes it’s the backup. Sometimes it might be a third-string guy, he’s just really good at this job.

“Just because you’re a starter on offense or defense doesn’t mean you’re actually better than this other guy on this special teams. So, ideally is it great to have a whole second platoon that can focus on special teams kind of like they do in the NFL? That’s ideal, but there’s still a mix and a match here.”

Svoboda used the word “aggressive” quite a bit when explaining how new OSU coach Eric Morris views special teams.

North Texas blocked two punts last season, which tied for ninth in the country. The Mean Green also blocked a pair of kicks, which tied for 25th nationally.

That aggression extends to the return game, as well, where Svoboda dropped this quote that might hit the average OSU fan straight in the heart.

“We’re not a just a ‘just get us the ball back’ mentality team,” Svoboda said. “If that’s the case, don’t even practice punt return. Just let the ball hit the ground, and where it stops rolling, offense takes over. We’ve had some good returners in the past. If you can gain a first down every single time, you don’t wanna give that punt team 40, 45-yard net every time they go back to punt the football.”

It certainly seems as if the Cowboys have the ponies to be players in the return game. The two instant standouts in that aspect are Wake Forest transfer receiver Chris Barnes and North Texas transfer receiver Miles Coleman.

Barnes housed a kick return at Wake Forrest last season and finished the year with seven returns for 263 yards. Among players with at least five returns, Barnes’ 37.7-yard averaged ranked fourth nationally.

CHRIS BARNES TAKES THE OPENING KICKOFF 98 YARDS TO THE HOUSE!!! WHAT A START FOR WAKE FOREST! pic.twitter.com/7RmzK8FS56

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) September 11, 2025

Coleman returned 10 punts in 2025, gaining 42 yards on those efforts.

Svoboda also noted that running back Caleb Hawkins could get some work in the return game. Hawkins, based on my UNT rewatch, is a menace in the checkdown passing game because it gives him the ball in space with usually a bunch of defensive backs around him — a similar position he would find himself in while returning.

As for the Cowboy kicking game, last week Morris noted that SMU transfer Sam Keltner is in the catbird seat to be OSU’s kicker, while Stephen F. Austin transfer Lachie Pozzobon is in the lead to do the punting.

Standing at 6-foot-4, Pozzobon is an Australian, joining Tom Hutton and Hudson Kaak as Aussie punters in Stillwater. Pozzobon was an FCS Football Central Freshman All-American last season as a Lumberjack after punting 53 times for 2,217 yards and an average of 41.8 yards per punt.

“He’s got a lot of different ability,” Svoboda said. “He can spiral, he can end over end it, banana ball, roll right kick left, roll right kick right. He’s got a lot of skillset, lot of tools in his toolbelt. He’s trying to flip that field every time we get an opportunity. We’re not scared to fake the ball. We did that in our last football game. We’re going to be aggressive as a punt unit, as well.”

Keltner was the Mustangs’ primary kicker last season, going 14-for-20 on field goals, including six makes from 40+ yards.

He has ties to Stillwater. His dad and sister both attended OSU, and he said at OSU’s Media Day last weekend that he’s grown up an OSU fan because of that.

“I was in the portal for maybe an hour,” Keltner said. “I jumped in, I got that offer, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take it.’

“This was the offer I wanted, and it was the offer I got. It’s just surreal. It’s an awesome experience, and it’s sometimes hard to believe that I get this opportunity and I’m really grateful for it.”