Nebraska’s special teams outlook for 2026 starts with two jobs fans usually only notice when they go wrong.
That’s the beauty of a good punter and a reliable long snapper: when they’re doing their work, they disappear into the background. The Huskers are hoping Archie Wilson and Jack Wills make that kind of quiet impact for a long time.
Wilson, now entering his second season in Lincoln, and Wills, who already has a year of Big Ten experience, landed at No. 24 on the Most Indispensable Huskers list. Both were brought in by former special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler to stabilize those spots for years.
Wilson’s first year offered a little bit of everything. The ambidextrous punter dealt with Memorial Stadium’s wind and still put together a solid debut.
His average sat at 39.4 yards, a number Nebraska would love to see climb. But the bigger story was how often he kept opponents from getting a return at all.
Only six of his 37 punts were brought back, and Nebraska finished ninth nationally in fewest punt returns allowed with 23. When teams did get a chance, they averaged just 3.8 yards per return.
New special teams coordinator Brett Maher and Nick Humphrey will want that part of the operation to stay right where it is.
Before Wilson ever played a college snap, Matt Rhule was already fascinated by what Nebraska had in him. “He's just like The Most Interesting Man in the World to me,” Rhule said last year before Wilson played his first college game.
“But I think what's cool is just what he can do in the system. We've got athletes out there.
He's rolling left, he's rolling right. He can straight punt, he can directional punt, he can banana kick ...
There's just a lot of different things.”
Wills brings a different kind of value, but Nebraska needs it just as badly. Rated No. 2 among long snappers in the 2025 recruiting class, he handled the job in all 12 games at Michigan State last season and is expected to be a key part of both the punting and field goal units. Kicker Kyle Cunanan could have fit into this conversation too, and was on the original list of key Huskers for the series.
That kind of steadiness matters because Nebraska’s special teams had issues in 2024, and the long-snapping spot was part of the problem. If Wills settles in the way the Huskers believe he can, he could be the first piece of a four-year answer.
There’s still one big question hanging over the punting game: can Nebraska raise the net average?
The coverage held up, but the Huskers finished 88th in net punting at 38.27 yards. To crack the top 25, they’d need to improve that number by more than three yards.
Wilson showed the ceiling in the opener against Cincinnati, pinning the Bearcats inside the 15 on three punts, including one inside the 10 before the final drive. That’s the kind of field-position swing Nebraska wants. He finished the season with 12 punts inside the 20, and the next step is finding that level more consistently in year two.
Wills has the experience edge, but he won’t be alone in the competition. Nebraska also added true freshman Kyson Gana, a Hickman native, to push for the job.
Maher sees Wilson’s talent clearly, but he also knows the challenge is shaping it the right way. “His style is very unique to me,” Maher said of Wilson.
“And coaching him last year for the first time was very eye-opening to what I had ever seen or done. So a lot of last year was me trying to learn him and learn that style.
“I think I fell into the trap a couple of times of shoot, 'He can hit this ball, he can hit this ball, he can hit this ball. Let's go out and practice all of them' when I do think not reigning him in - because I do want him to go out there and have the freedom to try to pull off some stuff that's pretty crazy... - but also making sure that he has something he can go to in any given circumstance.”
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