The weekly position review of WVU Football rolls on with a closer look at West Virginia’s special teams unit. Read more: Position Review #5: How does WVU’s special teams unit stack up?
It may not be the most exciting group on the roster, but the Mountaineers boast a bunch of new faces across the special teams group. WVU fans will notice a new placekicker and a new punter this year for the Mountaineers.
With all the new faces across the group, we will dive into who will be doing the background work for WVU this season.
Placekickers
West Virginia has three placekickers on its roster this season, and only one of them returns from previous seasons. That lone returner is West Virginia native Nate Flower.
The redshirt junior previously went to school just down the road from WVU at Fairmont Senior High School. He joined the Mountaineers right out of high school and has been on the team since 2023.
Last year was Flower’s most productive year after only having one kickoff in 2024. In 2025, he handled the team’s kickoff duties in six games. That included a season-high six touchbacks on eight kickoffs against Houston.
Flower capped off the year by being named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference First-Team Honors list.
One of the two new faces this season is Western Kentucky transfer Jack Cassidy. The Ireland native excelled for the Hilloppers last season as he appeared in all 13 games for them.
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He was mainly used as a kickoff specialist, as he collected over 4,500 yards and 51 touchbacks on 72 kickoffs. In a game against South Alabama, Cassidy recorded eight touchbacks on 10 kickoffs.
At the Kohl’s Kicking Camp, he recorded the longest kickoffs at the camp after booting two over 85 yards. He also showcased his ability as a punter after averaging 47 yards at the event.
Alabama transfer Peter Notaro is the final placekicker on the roster. He also enters his first year with the Mountaineers.
While he primarily served as the backup placekicker for Alabama last season, Flower managed to connect on all five of his PAT attempts. That includes going a perfect 4-of-4 against Louisiana-Monroe.
Flower also booted five kickoffs that combined for 317 yards and two touchbacks.
Punter and Long Snappers
After longtime punter Oliver Straw wrapped up his career at West Virginia last season, the Mountaineers now have a new leg in the position for the 2026 season. The lone punter on the roster is Colorado State transfer Bryan Hansen.
After walking on at Colorado State in 2022, Hansen quickly became the Rams primary kickoff and punt specialist. He recorded nine punts for a 41.1-yard average and five landing inside the 20 in 2024.
Last year, he punted the ball 57 times for an average of 47.9. Hansen showed off his power after kicking 23 over 50 yards as well. He placed 13 inside the 20-yard line.
Handling the long snapping duties will likely be redshirt junior Macguire Moss. He has spent his entire collegiate career with the Mountaineers and is coming off two-straight seasons of being the team’s primary long snapper.
Redshirt sophomore Kaden Seller also returns to the roster after spending his first years at WVU as well. He was Moss’ backup last season, but made an appearance against Robert Morris.
Keep an eye out for Hansen and how he handles the punting duties for West Virginia. The Mountaineers got used to Straw being the lone punter for many years, and he was one of the best in the Big 12 consistently.
A new leg booting the punts, as well as the field goals, could cause some worry at the beginning of the year. As for the field goals, I expect either Cassidy or Notaro to take over as the team’s primary field goal kicker.
As always, make sure to stay up to date with more updates and news on WVU Athletics on the WV Sports Nation app.
