Special teams often gets overlooked in the grand scheme of a college football season, but a big kick return, a blocked field goal, or a coffin corner punt can all change the trajectory of a game.
Michigan State found out the hard way this past season that special teams can win and lose you games. When the Spartans faced Iowa, some massive plays by the Hawkeyes in the return game led to a come-from-behind win that shocked Michigan State fans. OK, so maybe they weren’t entirely shocked, but the Michigan State vs. Iowa meltdown felt a lot similar to the hoops loss in Iowa City a few years ago after crumbling in the final 90 seconds.
Special teams are clearly important, and Pat Fitzgerald is committing a fair amount of resources to help build it back up for new coordinator LeVar Woods who came over from Iowa. Poaching Woods from his alma mater could not have been easy — or cheap.
Since Woods was hired, the Spartans’ special teams have undergone a complete change. They will feature a new punter, kicker, long-snapper, and now kick returner next season.
On Saturday night, All-Big Ten kick returner Kenneth Williams committed to Michigan State after transferring from Nebraska.
Detroit native and one of the Big Ten’s top return specialists is headed home.
— Corey Robinson (@C_Robinson247) January 18, 2026
Michigan State lands Nebraska kick returner Kenneth Williams as the Spartans continue to upgrade special teams under LeVar Woods (FREE)https://t.co/jK9C2j5QK6 pic.twitter.com/gBgMkXDk9G
Williams was a second-team All-Big Ten kick returner this past season, averaging 32.9 yards per return for the Cornhuskers. He also returned one of his 12 kickoffs for a touchdown.
Michigan State will take that after losing Alante Brown who showed flashes but was never consistently healthy enough in East Lansing.
LeVar Woods’ special teams are now complete
With the addition of a return man, Michigan State now has its kick returner, punter, kicker, and long-snapper in place for the 2026 season. Woods has his guys, and everything’s coming together nicely.
Coming in at kicker after losing Martin Connington to the transfer portal is Liam Boyd from Charlotte who went 9-for-12 this past season and a perfect 15-for-15 on extra points. At punter, the Spartans have Rhys Dakin, an Australian punter who was a Freshman All-American in 2024 and was then named honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2025 at Iowa. They’ll also have options at long-snapper after adding a high school All-American on Friday.
Now, the Spartans have their return man in Williams.
Unless a punt returner is added, it looks like Michigan State’s new special teams unit is complete.