Florida State’s special teams room looks a lot different heading into fall camp, and not just because the Seminoles are breaking in new faces at kicker and punter again.
This is a unit in transition across the board. FSU has a new special teams coordinator in Adam Scheier, who steps in after John Papuchis left for Missouri, and the roster churn has opened the door for several competitions that still feel unsettled.
At kicker, the early lean appears to be toward Jake Panikowski, though the race is not over yet. Panikowski redshirted in 2025 and came into the picture after a strong year at Idaho State in 2024, when he went 15-for-15 on field goals and won the Fred Mitchell Award, given to the best non-FBS kicker.
His main competition, Jake McAneney, missed a significant stretch of team activities after an arrest. McAneney’s charges were reduced in April and he was reinstated to the roster, and the sophomore finished last season 7-for-10 on field goals.
Punter is another spot worth watching closely. Florida State is trying to replace Alex Mastromanno, and Jack Hughes is the name to know as camp begins. The spring didn’t sound like a clean runaway for Hughes, though, which leaves room for Thomas Jula or Tyler Post to push for more.
There’s also a deeper layer to the specialist picture. Caden Bower has logged 45 career games and already owns a national championship from his time at North Dakota State, while John Nocco was on the roster last season but did not appear in a game.
The return game may be the most intriguing part of the whole operation. The combination of Squirrel White and Lawayne McCoy has real juice on kickoff returns, especially after FSU’s 2025 production there fell flat.
The Seminoles only had 11 kick returns last season, and White was involved on just two of them. White was an All-American returner in 2024 and took one back for a touchdown against Duke, while McCoy brings the kind of Olympic-level speed Florida State needs to put to work.
Punt return didn’t give the Seminoles much either, and in the source material, it’s described as a phase that arguably cost Florida State the game against North Carolina State.
Florida State also seems open to leaning on youth in that spot. True freshman wide receivers Jasen Lopez and Devin Carter handled most of the work there in the spring.
Florida State’s 2025 schedule: Saturday, August 29 vs.
New Mexico State - Tallahassee - 7:00 p.m. ET on The CW
Monday, September 7 vs. SMU - Tallahassee - 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, September 19 at Alabama - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Saturday, September 26 vs. Central Arkansas - Tallahassee (Family Weekend/Hall of Fame)
Saturday, October 3 vs. Virginia - Tallahassee (Cancer Awareness)
Friday, October 9 at Louisville - Louisville, Ky. - 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, October 17 at Miami - Miami Gardens, Fla.
Saturday, October 31 vs. Clemson - Tallahassee (Military Appreciation)
Saturday, November 7 at Boston College - Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Saturday, November 13 at Pitt - Pittsburgh, Pa. - 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, November 21 vs. NC State - Tallahassee (Homecoming/Seminole Heritage/Athlete Alumni Reunion)
Friday, November 27 vs. Florida - Tallahassee - 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
In Other News...
FSU Just Lost A Young Defender Right Before Fall Camp
Florida State is heading into fall camp with a little less depth on the defensive line after removing true freshman end Chris Carbin from the roster. Carbin had signed in December and was around for offseason work, so the move trims a player the Seminoles had already begun to integrate before camp gets rolling.
The timing makes it notable, especially with preseason preparations about to ramp up and seven other true freshman defensive linemen still in place. Even with that group still on hand, any early roster change on the defensive front is the kind of detail that can reshape how a staff sorts out its depth and development plans once camp opens. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Opens A New Camp Chapter As Leadership Starts Taking Shape
Florida State has wrapped up summer workouts and is turning the page toward camp, with the season opener against New Mexico State now the next checkpoint on the calendar. The Seminoles also kept one of their more familiar offseason traditions alive, as the teams rock-breaking ceremony again marked the transition from summer conditioning to football season, a small but meaningful signal that the long buildup is giving way to the real work.
The leadership picture is starting to come into focus, too, with players earning notice from coaches and teammates during the offseason. Chris Jones has been among the names drawing positive attention, while Duce Robinson has emerged as a presence in the locker room alongside quarterback Ashton Daniels, giving Florida State a clearer sense of who will help set the tone once camp opens and the competition gets sharper. [Read more 🡒]