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Penn State Football Special Teams Starters To Return In 2025

Even the long snapper wants to run it back.

Penn State football starting punter Riley Thompson, place kicker Ryan Barker, kickoff specialist Gabe Nwosu, and long snapper Tyler Duzansky will return to the program in 2025, special teams coordinator Justin Lustig announced Wednesday morning.

Thompson will enter his final year of NCAA eligibility with Penn State, something he had to fight for after initially transferring into the program for the 2023 season. A native of Melbourne, Australia, Thompson spent one year at Florida Atlantic before transferring up north. Across his college career, he’s punted 162 times, averaging 44.7 yards with a long of 63 and dropping 37% of his punts inside the 20-yard line.

Barker, a rising redshirt sophomore, started the 2024 season on the bench but took over for Sander Sahaydak after Sahaydak started the season with some consistency issues. Barker has made 15 of his 18 field goal attempts, including the game-winner against USC, with a longest kick of 49 yards.

Duzansky has made 36 appearances at long snapper across four years at Penn State. He began his career working behind Mannelly Award winner Chris Stoll but took over the job full-time in 2023.

Nwosu, officially listed as a punter on Penn State’s roster, has served as the kickoff specialist since 2023. He took some kickoffs in 2022, appearing in eight games, and has made 337 appearances across his Penn State career.

Penn State’s specialists join several other Nittany Lions set to return in 2025, including Nick DawkinsDrew AllarZakee WheatleyZane DurantNick SingletonKaytron Allen, and Dani Dennis-Sutton.

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About the Author

Joe Lister

Joe is a senior journalism major at Penn State and Onward State's managing editor. He writes about everything Penn State and is single-handedly responsible for the 2017 Rose Bowl. If you see him at Cafe 210, please buy him a Miami pitcher. For dumb stuff, follow him on Twitter (iamjoelister). For serious stuff, email him ([email protected]). To tell him your deepest secrets, find him on Signal (iamjoelister.93).

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