Mizzou’s special teams enters fall camp with a different kind of edge this year: not swagger, but accountability.
That matters after last season’s uneven showing. The Tigers lost starting kicker Blake Craig to injury, then had to piece together the job with Robert Meyer and Oliver Robbins, who finished 13-for-19 on field goals.
Connor Weselman wasn’t the problem at punter, but when the offense sputtered, Mizzou needed more than just serviceable. Through it all, long snapper Brett Le Blanc was the steady hand, delivering a clean season without a single botched snap on kicks or punts.
Now the group is trying to turn that rough stretch into motivation. New special teams coordinator John Papuchis arrived after five seasons on Eli Drinkwitz’s staff were cut short by the departure of Eric Link, and he brought Florida State punter Brunno Reus with him after six years with the Seminoles.
EDGE Jaden Jones also followed Papuchis to Columbia. Papuchis, Reus, Craig and Le Blanc all met with the media before fall camp, and the message was pretty clear: everybody in that room has something to prove.
“Each guy has a different mission in terms of what they’re trying to prove,” Papuchis said. “It’s all moving in the same direction for us to be the best team.”
The competition is still very much alive. Mizzou hasn’t named a starting punter yet, with Mark Shenouda, John Butcher and Reus all in the mix. Papuchis said the group’s spring and summer work has made the decision more complicated, not less.
“I think in different ways they all had very effective springs. Brunno had a really good spring and summer, and there will be some decisions made coming up here soon. But I’m excited about the group as a whole,” Papuchis said.
Craig’s return is one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle. Before the injury, he was perfect on his two field-goal attempts in 2025. After nearly a full year away from kicking, he says the time on the sideline has sharpened him mentally.
“Honestly, I think that my mental state is the best that it’s been since the injury, and even before that. I’d say probably 18 months now at this point,” Craig said. “I’ve spent a lot of time in my head, just working on things, visualization and things like that.”
He even cracked a joke about chasing Harrison Mevis’ record before making the real point: accuracy is the goal.
Reus, meanwhile, arrives with plenty of buzz. He played only four games as a freshman and used a redshirt, but his reputation followed him to Missouri. Kohl’s Kicking Camps ranked him a 5-star kicker and the best combo kicker/punter, and listed him as the No. 2 punter and No. 3 kicker in the nation for 2025.
Le Blanc has already seen enough to know the newcomer fits the standard. The long snapper called his connection with Reus the best he’s had with any punter in the past, a detail that could matter in a tight battle for the job.
“We’ve been fortunate to see a lot of the other specialist units on our schedule, and we’re excited to see how we can stack up this season and see how we can perform against them,” Le Blanc said.
Papuchis was just as complimentary about Le Blanc, who earned preseason All-SEC recognition and remains one of the most dependable pieces on the roster.
“I’ve been blessed to be around some really good long snappers in my career, and Brett has all the qualities of the guys that I’ve had that have had great success,” Papuchis said.
For Le Blanc, the job has always been about consistency, and that has meant adapting to different bodies and styles over the years. He’s snapped to punters of all shapes and sizes, from 6-foot-5 Luke Bauer to the 6-foot Reus, and says the real key is “personality and connection.”
That connection seems to have helped Reus settle in. He admitted he came into the summer out of shape, but said Le Blanc helped him reset and stay on track.
“We had some sparks, but that’s him holding me accountable. And ever since then, I’m my best because of Brett,” Reus said.
“I’ve been getting stronger and faster. Everything in my game has been faster because of Brett, because he held me accountable.”
That kind of relationship is exactly what Mizzou needs if its special teams is going to become a strength instead of a concern. Craig is coming back from injury.
Reus is still fighting for his first real college opportunity. The punting job is undecided.
But the unit’s message is simple enough: this group wants to be a weapon, not a weakness.
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