Nebraska’s special teams enter 2026 with a new look, and the biggest reason is simple: Mike Ekeler is gone.
That’s a tough pill for Husker fans, because Ekeler turned a unit that was ranked 86th nationally into one that finished No. 3 in his first year. He had been a Nebraska linebacker coach from 2008-10 under Bo Pelini, and the David City native brought energy, experience and results back to Lincoln when Matt Rhule hired him away from Tennessee.
In 2024, Ekeler’s Tennessee special teams finished No. 9 nationally, while Nebraska sat at 86th. Rhule still needed to make a change, and Ekeler came home.
But the fit didn’t last. Rhule had already hired Phil Simpson at outside linebacker, then brought in Rob Aurich from San Diego State as defensive coordinator.
Aurich replaced Nebraska’s 3-3-5 with a 4-2-5, and that shift led to Roy Manning arriving from SDSU to coach the edge rushers. With those pieces in place, Ekeler no longer had the same role in Lincoln.
USC did, though. Lincoln Riley needed a special teams coach who could also work with outside linebackers, and Ekeler landed in Los Angeles. The move also came with the kind of paycheck USC can offer.
So now Nebraska turns the special teams over to Brett Maher, a native Nebraskan and former Husker kicker from 2008-12 who also played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys and LA Rams. Maher spent last season on Ekeler’s staff and now takes over as coordinator for the first time. Nick Humphrey is right beside him as co-special teams coordinator after serving as a special teams analyst under Ekeler at Nebraska last season and at Tennessee the year before.
The personnel picture has some real pieces, starting with Kyle Cunanan. The junior from Phoenix went 16 of 19 on field goals last season, handled kickoffs at 59.5 yards a pop and scored 93 total points.
John Hohl, a junior from Lincoln, posted a 61.54-yard kickoff average. Jack Wills, a sophomore transfer from Michigan State, joins the group, along with Archie Wilson, the sophomore punter from Frankston South, Victoria, Australia, who averaged 39.93 yards on 37 punts and had one kickoff go 51 yards.
Kamdyn Koch, a sophomore from Westminster, Maryland, handled the holder duties in all 13 games last year.
Nebraska also has options in the return game. Jacory Barney Jr. put up 270 punt-return yards at 12.27 per return and 275 kickoff-return yards at 21.15 per return.
Demitrius Bell, a junior from Nashville, was held back by injuries the past two seasons. Isaiah Mozee, a sophomore from Kansas City, logged 43 punt-return yards at 21.5 per return and 70 kickoff-return yards at 23.23 per return.
Kenneth Williams, who transferred to Michigan State, was a major loss after piling up 395 kickoff-return yards at 32.92 per return and scoring one touchdown.
That’s why expecting a repeat of last year’s special teams success feels like a stretch. Ekeler is at USC, Williams is gone, and Nebraska has to rebuild the unit around Maher and Humphrey. If those two can pull it off, the Huskers will be in good shape.
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Bonners presence is especially notable for a group that needs reliable playmakers, while the young running backs are still trying to prove themselves after limited game action. Holgorsen sees potential there, but the bigger development for Nebraska may be how quickly the offense can turn that experience into something sharper and more dangerous once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]