Penn State football has been notably successful in recent years at developing specialists and pushing them into the NFL.

Long snappers Chris Stoll and Tyler Duzansky, as well as punters Jamie Gilliian and Jordan Stout, have all found starting roles at the next level.

Who could be next in the Penn State State specialists-to-pros pipeline? Let’s take a closer look at this year’s position groups.

Projected Starters

While nothing is official, it appears Penn State’s starting trio of specialists will consist of Ryan Barker at kicker, Blaise Sokach-Minnick at long snapper, and one of the two punters on the roster, Nathan Tiyce or Lucas Tenbrock.

Barker, a redshirt junior, looks to continue a strong season as Penn State’s go-to field goal guy. Over the last two years, he’s made 33 of his 37 attempts and currently holds Penn State’s career field goal percentage record at 89.2%. In 2025, he broke Penn State’s single-season record for field goal percentage after going 18 for 19 on the season.

That kind of consistency is something that the Nittany Lions can hang their hat on come Saturdays.

Similarly, Sokach-Minnick will hold down a starting role after sitting behind Duzansky for a couple of seasons. The redshirt senior has snuck into two games in each of the last three seasons, carving out a small sample size of live game experience that will surely help him as the starter in 2026.

The starting punter battle might not be the most enthralling camp clash, but someone has to win it. Tiyce hails from Gerringong, Australia, and transferred from Mississippi State this offseason. The 25-year-old freshman played in nine games for the Bulldogs and averaged 39 yards per punt.

Two of his 12 punts went for over 50+ yards, and seven landed inside the 20-yard line. Tiyce worked on a farm for five years while playing Australian rugby before pursuing a football career. That season of acclimation to the speed of college football gives him an advantage on paper over Tenbrock, who is a true freshman.

However, a clip of Tiyce shanking a punt surfaced on social media, which could make you think otherwise.

Supporting Cast

Penn State brought in Cristiano Rosa from James Madison during the offseason, and the redshirt senior will battle redshirt freshman Matthew Parker for the backup kicker role. Rosa doesn’t have the starting experience you would expect from someone who has played a handful of college football seasons.

While he’s attempted just four field goals and only made two, his time with the Dukes, as well as at Central Connecticut State, will serve as a strong foundation for him as a reserve kicker.

As for Parker, he earned some tread as a Nittany Lion in 2025, converting an extra point against Nevada. It will be interesting to see which of the two inexperienced kickers comes out on top when camp ends.

There are only two long snappers and punters each on the roster, so it’s safe to say Andrew Dufault will operate as the backup. Assuming Tiyce wins the starting punter job, all 6-foot-6 of Tenbrock will back him up.