2016 College Average Kickoff Return Allowed Leaders

Return yards divided by returns. It shows how well his kicks and coverage contain returners.

Lower is better. Only specialists with enough returns are ranked. In 2016, Blake Wilson (11.8) topped college football kickoff specialists in average kickoff return allowed, ahead of Josh Pollack (12.9) and Nick Fields (13.5). 162 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 10 returns). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 19.2.

College rule from 2012 to 2017: a kickoff touchback started the receiving team at its 25, so a touchback was a good result for the kicking team. Kickoff Points Added accounts for the rule, so it is the fair way to compare kickoff specialists across leagues and seasons.

Final 2016 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	Avg ret	Kickoffs	Avg dist	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Blake Wilson	Army	11.8	25	54.2	12%	22	+2.6
2	Josh Pollack	Arizona	12.9	19	54.3	16%	16	−4.2
3	Nick Fields	Bowling Green	13.5	55	53.5	24%	39	−6.4
4	Michael Carrizosa	San José State	14.2	60	60.8	68%	19	+2.0
5	Bennett Moehring	Navy	14.3	79	57.5	27%	56	+8.4
6	Jake Elliott	Memphis	14.4	88	63.7	68%	28	+18.9
7	Corliss Waitman	South Alabama	14.5	10	51.9	0%	10	−5.4
8	Brad Davis	Old Dominion	14.6	69	53.4	14%	59	−15.0
9	Sawyer Williams	Arkansas State	14.7	66	60.5	21%	52	+15.8
10	Emmit Carpenter	Minnesota	14.9	72	61.7	51%	35	+3.3
11	Jimmy Camacho	Fresno State	14.9	20	60.9	30%	14	+4.7
12	Stephen Brauchle	Southern Miss	14.9	18	51.9	0%	18	−5.5
13	Van Valkenburg	Fresno State	15.2	18	61.9	28%	13	+2.2
14	Mike Knoll	Boston College	15.4	48	60.7	29%	34	+7.3
15	Brian Eavey	Central Michigan	15.5	33	57.5	24%	25	−1.1
16	Bobby Puyol	UConn	15.5	43	62.8	67%	14	+6.2
17	Bratcher Underwood	Troy	15.6	63	59.7	29%	44	+8.3
18	Matthew McCrane	Kansas State	15.7	32	60.5	34%	21	+2.1
19	J.D. Dellinger	Purdue	15.8	54	55.2	13%	46	−5.6
20	Adley Rutschman	Oregon State	16.0	53	60.4	38%	33	−0.4
21	Andrew Mikkelsen	BYU	16.1	12	59.6	0%	12	+2.6
22	Tyler Durbin	Ohio State	16.1	90	60.3	38%	55	+6.8
23	Greg Huegel	Clemson	16.3	85	60.8	42%	49	+7.0
24	Noah Beito	California	16.3	81	55.6	28%	49	+0.4
25	Tristan Vizcaino	Washington	16.3	99	59.1	37%	60	−3.7
26	Tommy Openshaw	Vanderbilt	16.4	47	61.8	26%	35	−5.7
27	Jared Smolar	Rutgers	16.7	20	55.0	0%	19	+0.2
28	Logan Cooke	Mississippi State	16.8	25	63.3	56%	11	+3.8
29	Matt Boermeester	USC	16.8	77	63.2	52%	37	+10.3
30	Stevie Artigue	Louisiana	16.9	53	60.0	30%	37	+4.1
31	Adam Greene	Maryland	17.0	24	58.1	8%	22	+3.6
32	Samuel Vucelich	Toledo	17.0	69	60.4	22%	54	+10.9
33	Sam Sloman	Miami (OH)	17.0	50	56.9	22%	38	−11.1
34	Cameron Gamble	LSU	17.1	59	61.3	20%	47	+6.7
35	Logan Tyler	Florida State	17.1	76	64.4	66%	26	+15.8
36	Corey Edwards	BYU	17.1	47	61.8	32%	32	+1.8
37	Louie Zervos	Ohio	17.2	38	54.9	11%	33	−9.1
38	Braxton Davis	Colorado State	17.2	58	61.4	53%	27	−0.1
39	Joey Julius	Penn State	17.2	93	62.1	48%	48	+7.7
40	Kyle Fischer	Louisiana Tech	17.3	11	61.4	0%	11	+1.3
41	Brent Zuzo	Nevada	17.4	54	59.9	41%	32	+2.1
42	Brad Wall	Mississippi State	17.4	29	61.5	28%	20	+4.4
43	Kevin Cronin	Michigan State	17.5	61	59.5	38%	38	−0.5
44	Zachary Block	Tulane	17.5	45	60.3	42%	26	+1.2
45	Ryan Rimmler	Ball State	17.6	20	59.4	10%	18	+1.7
46	Austin Parker	Duke	17.9	25	60.2	16%	21	+1.9
47	Donald De La Haye	UCF	17.9	64	60.6	50%	32	−1.9
48	Brendan Renius	Eastern Michigan	17.9	73	58.9	25%	55	−0.9
49	Kyle Bambard	NC State	18.0	39	61.5	23%	30	+3.2
50	Kaden Keon	Central Michigan	18.0	25	56.0	12%	22	−1.3
51	Ian Patterson	Kansas State	18.0	20	62.3	20%	16	−1.6
52	Michael Farkas	Ohio	18.0	34	57.3	6%	32	−0.1
53	Matt Ammendola	Oklahoma State	18.0	76	63.1	46%	41	+15.8
54	Shane Hynes	Kent State	18.0	47	56.1	11%	41	−10.8
55	Austin Rehkow	Idaho	18.1	55	62.2	27%	40	+2.8
56	Drew Galitz	Baylor	18.2	74	62.6	30%	52	+13.6
57	Derrick Mitchell	Western Michigan	18.3	54	62.7	33%	36	+3.7
58	Tyler Bass	Georgia Southern	18.3	66	64.4	68%	21	+5.5
59	Daniel Carlson	Auburn	18.4	68	63.6	79%	13	+10.6
60	Jake Thompson	Utah State	18.5	58	61.3	43%	33	+2.9
61	Alex Rinella	Western Kentucky	18.5	89	61.4	25%	66	−1.6
62	Rigoberto Sanchez	Hawai'i	18.5	61	60.6	31%	42	−3.8
63	Joey Slye	Virginia Tech	18.5	87	64.5	78%	19	+18.0
64	Zane Gonzalez	Arizona State	18.6	76	64.4	78%	17	+11.1
65	Connor Limpert	Arkansas	18.6	42	61.7	21%	33	−0.4
66	Ryan Jones	Cincinnati	18.6	53	59.5	26%	39	−4.7
67	Will Kline	Duke	18.6	21	60.3	10%	19	−1.1
68	Danny Sutton	Maryland	18.7	31	58.9	16%	26	−1.1
69	Lumi Kaba	Texas State	18.8	30	59.0	17%	25	−4.2
70	Matthew Wyman	Kansas	18.8	52	63.3	56%	23	+0.3
71	Erik Powell	Washington State	18.8	85	60.1	41%	50	+5.4
72	Chris Francis	Iowa State	18.8	67	62.1	52%	32	+0.6
73	Jake Bailey	Stanford	18.9	62	63.9	60%	25	+9.9
74	Eddy Pineiro	Florida	18.9	58	64.5	72%	15	+3.9
75	Brandon Wright	Georgia State	19.0	45	61.6	27%	33	+1.4
76	Nick Van Valkenburg	Fresno State	19.1	11	61.6	9%	10	+1.6
77	David Bonagura	Rutgers	19.1	20	54.8	15%	16	−7.7
78	Jay Mattox	UTEP	19.1	48	63.8	67%	16	+7.4
79	Tyler Rausa	Boise State	19.2	71	64.1	55%	32	+8.1
80	Nick Gasser	Akron	19.2	14	60.9	14%	12	−1.2
81	Braden Mann	Texas A&M	19.2	67	64.0	73%	17	+10.7
82	Jackson Maples	NC State	19.2	22	61.0	27%	16	−3.5
83	Westin Graves	Mississippi State	19.2	14	57.6	0%	14	−2.3
84	Austin MacGinnis	Kentucky	19.2	71	61.4	32%	48	+6.7
85	Cole Bunce	TCU	19.2	69	62.5	39%	41	+8.7
86	Luke Strebel	Air Force	19.3	70	60.6	50%	35	−8.8
87	Anthony George	Louisville	19.3	40	60.3	8%	37	+1.0
88	Ron Coluzzi	Iowa	19.3	60	62.0	63%	22	−0.5
89	Craig Ford	UL Monroe	19.4	56	57.1	11%	50	−4.2
90	Hayes Hicken	Utah	19.4	57	62.4	51%	28	+6.8
91	Kyle Schmidt	Ball State	19.4	30	61.1	20%	24	+3.6
92	John Baron II	San Diego State	19.5	80	62.4	31%	55	+11.9
93	Taylor Sheets	Buffalo	19.5	28	56.9	14%	24	−6.2
94	Cole Murphy	Syracuse	19.5	53	59.3	19%	42	+0.3
95	Nathan Noble	Ole Miss	19.6	77	63.0	39%	47	+8.2
96	P.J. Rosowski	Wisconsin	19.6	74	63.3	64%	27	+8.5
97	Canon Rooker	Middle Tennessee	19.7	86	59.7	28%	62	−35.0
98	Matt Wogan	Oregon	19.7	78	64.6	67%	26	+6.8
99	Mitchell Howard	Army	19.8	25	60.8	36%	16	+0.6
100	Chris Blewitt	Pittsburgh	19.8	87	61.7	28%	63	+7.3
101	Griffin Oakes	Indiana	19.8	56	59.9	39%	32	−4.6
102	Austin Jones	Temple	19.8	39	60.3	15%	33	−1.7
103	Michael Barden	Texas Tech	19.9	45	63.8	69%	14	+3.9
104	Steve Drida	Ball State	19.9	14	57.1	0%	14	−3.4
105	Daniel Portillo	UTSA	19.9	58	60.4	38%	36	−3.8
106	Christian Hagan	Northern Illinois	19.9	62	60.8	31%	42	−6.3
107	Austin Taylor	Florida International	19.9	59	57.2	19%	48	−14.9
108	Aaron Medley	Tennessee	20.0	76	64.8	55%	33	+7.0
109	Adam McFain	Arkansas	20.1	24	59.7	21%	19	−1.7
110	Jason Sanders	New Mexico	20.1	81	63.4	83%	14	+0.6
111	Davis Plowman	East Carolina	20.2	22	59.1	5%	20	+1.2
112	Butch Hampton	Western Michigan	20.2	47	59.7	17%	39	−8.8
113	Jonathan Barnes	Louisiana Tech	20.3	90	59.7	33%	60	−12.7
114	Justin Yoon	Notre Dame	20.5	54	61.9	44%	30	+7.9
115	Harrison Butker	Georgia Tech	20.5	65	64.5	71%	19	+8.6
116	Tom O'Leary	Akron	20.6	46	57.5	13%	40	−10.6
117	Nick Weiler	North Carolina	20.6	77	63.7	57%	33	+8.3
118	Tyler Sarrazin	Southern Miss	20.7	46	60.1	28%	33	−4.4
119	Blanton Creque	Louisville	20.7	54	59.7	13%	46	−4.6
120	Greg Joseph	Florida Atlantic	20.7	50	64.7	78%	11	+5.8
121	Mitchell Becker	Texas	20.8	68	63.1	37%	43	+6.5
122	Mike Caggiano	Massachusetts	20.8	57	59.4	14%	49	−12.5
123	Kenny Allen	Michigan	20.8	77	64.2	58%	32	+11.8
124	Chase McLaughlin	Illinois	20.9	35	62.0	43%	20	−5.8
125	Mike Weaver	Wake Forest	20.9	56	64.1	55%	25	+7.4
126	Davis Price	Colorado	20.9	14	60.9	29%	10	−0.4
127	JJ Molson	UCLA	20.9	60	61.8	32%	40	−4.0
128	Josh Williams	SMU	21.1	49	57.6	27%	36	−18.8
129	Aaron Boumerhi	Temple	21.2	47	58.3	21%	37	−9.4
130	Amoreto Curraj	Marshall	21.2	40	62.8	55%	18	+5.7
131	Gavin Patterson	South Alabama	21.2	50	58.6	14%	39	−10.5
132	Jack Fox	Rice	21.2	59	60.9	42%	34	−2.4
133	Mike Molina	West Virginia	21.3	75	58.4	31%	51	−16.4
134	Eric Keena	North Texas	21.3	55	63.0	58%	23	+1.6
135	Emilio Nadelman	South Florida	21.5	68	61.0	29%	48	+0.2
136	Caleb Pratt	East Carolina	21.5	41	58.3	32%	28	−7.1
137	Michael Badgley	Miami	21.6	82	63.4	59%	34	−0.3
138	Blake Brewer	Charlotte	21.7	56	59.4	20%	45	−9.2
139	Drew Brown	Nebraska	21.7	55	63.8	47%	29	+4.8
140	Jack Mitchell	Northwestern	21.7	58	63.1	53%	27	+1.7
141	Ty Cummings	Houston	21.9	80	62.8	45%	43	+6.9
142	Adam Mitcheson	Buffalo	22.1	14	52.9	0%	14	−7.1
143	Adam Griffith	Alabama	22.2	88	63.4	52%	41	+6.0
144	Austin Seibert	Oklahoma	22.3	92	63.3	49%	47	+1.0
145	Clayton Hatfield	Texas Tech	22.3	46	62.2	37%	29	+3.5
146	Sam Hayward	Virginia	22.4	23	61.4	39%	14	+0.2
147	Redford Jones	Tulsa	22.6	90	61.1	36%	58	−7.4
148	Evan Pantels	UNLV	22.6	49	60.9	31%	34	−10.3
149	Brandon Behr	South Florida	22.7	15	60.3	7%	14	−3.1
150	Chris Graham	Colorado	22.9	42	61.8	40%	24	−5.9
151	Nick Schrage	Army	23.2	12	57.6	17%	10	−2.2
152	Bentlee Critcher	App State	23.3	65	63.7	65%	23	+1.4
153	Nicolai Bornand	UNLV	23.5	19	60.4	26%	14	−6.3
154	Michael Armstrong	SMU	23.8	18	54.7	11%	15	−5.2
155	Edgar Gastelum	Arizona	24.0	29	62.5	45%	16	−5.6
156	Tucker McCann	Missouri	24.3	63	63.4	67%	21	+0.5
157	Parker Davidson	New Mexico State	24.3	53	61.9	45%	29	−1.9
158	Rodrigo Blankenship	Georgia	24.5	50	62.3	38%	31	−8.9
159	Cooper Rothe	Wyoming	25.8	76	62.8	39%	46	−0.5
160	John Chereson	Notre Dame	26.8	16	56.7	25%	12	−4.5
161	Elliott Fry	South Carolina	26.9	51	61.8	33%	33	−2.9
162	Dylan Sims	Virginia	27.4	28	61.1	36%	18	−2.7

All 2016 College kickoff specialist rankings

Average Kickoff Return Allowed in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

More 2016 College kickoff specialist leaderboards

Other 2016 College rankings

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