Now that the dust seems to have settled on all the roster moves of the offseason -- and it was a very busy offseason -- it's time to take a detailed look at what the Florida State football team looks like in 2020.
We called this feature, "Reshaping the Roster," and here were the first two installments of the three-part series:
Now, it's time for a closer look at the special teams, which is an area where head coach Mike Norvell wants to place a major emphasis. It also is another area that struggled under the previous coaching staff.
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Norvell comes in with a terrific track record in this category. Last year at Memphis, his team ranked second in the nation in special-teams efficiency, according to ESPN. The only school that ranked higher was Penn State, which had hired Norvell's special-teams coordinator from the year before.
Memphis also led the country during those four years with 11 kickoff returns for touchdowns. During that same span, FSU recorded zero.
At Norvell's introductory press conference in December, he brought up special teams as one of the founding principles of his program. And one of his primary missions this season is turning FSU around in that department; the Seminoles ranked 109th, according to ESPN.
This unit will be led by assistant coach John Papuchis, who enjoyed great success leading special teams at Maryland and other programs. Last season, the Terrapins ranked No. 11 in special-teams efficiency.
Here's a closer look at each of the key kickers, return specialists and long snappers who are expected to be key contributors for Florida State this season, and which players have left the program.
Who arrived:
Alex Mastromanno, punter -- Maybe one of the biggest unknowns in the entire conference. Mastromanno has never even seen a live college football game, much less kicked in one. But the former Australian Rules Football star will be competing with Tommy Martin for the starting punter job.
Corey Wren, return specialist -- Should be an immediate challenger for a kickoff return spot. The Louisiana product was one of the fastest recruits in the country and was a threat to score every time he touched the ball for state power John Curtis High School. He is one of a number of freshmen who will likely get a look at returns during preseason practice.
