Special Teams Sunday: How reducing penalties fits into Texas' plan for improvement in the third phase

Last week during what’s likely to be his lone media availability of the regular season, Texas special teams coordinator Jeff Banks explained that the Longhorns highlighted three key areas needing major improvement in order to better a special teams unit that finished ranked No. 117 out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in SP+.

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• Net punting
• Field goal precentage
• Penalties

Today will feature a look at all three. First up was net punting. Then it was field goal percentage. Finally, it’s time for penalties.

Trailing Georgia 7-0 near the end of the first quarter in the first matchup between the two teams, Matthew Golden fielded a kickoff and rumbled 64 yards deep into Bulldog territory. However a holding penalty on Kobe Black undid the return and put the Longhorns at their own eight instead of the UGA 36.

Penalties were an issue for the Longhorns in the third phase last year. Pro Football Focus says the Longhorns committed 17 special teams penalties in 2024, with only two declined or part of offsetting fouls. According to PFF, Warren Roberson logged five, Liona Lefau, Malik Agbo, and Amari Niblack each had two, and Black, Michael Kern, Jelani McDonald, DJ Campbell, Morice Blackwell, and Michael Taaffe all were responsible for one special teams foul.

Special teams penalties are already difficult to sustain. Just one can cost your team a big return, but even a 10-15 yard mark off makes scoring a lot more difficult. One per game? That’s one derailment per contest.

Banks identified penalties as one of the three obvious areas for improvement last week, and said the responsibility for that improvement falls on him.

“The penalty piece is coaching,” Banks said. “We pride ourselves on fundamentals and working on individual stuff. (Steve Sarkisian) gives us great time to do that. In some organizations, they don’t. But our head coach believes in it and we drill it. That was a little disappointing to see us create so many penalties that we haven’t in the past and take away some big returns.”

Several of those players who notched fouls are likely to be a major part of special teams this year. Lefau and Roberson were on every teams unit except for field goal and led the team in snaps in the third phase. Other returning players with at least 125 special teams snaps include Taaffe, Ryan Niblett, Ty’Anthony Smith, Black, Lance St. Louis, McDonald, and Marshall Landwehr.

That group is likely going to be involved plenty in special teams this year. A big reason why is because they have the three traits Banks values most when it comes to playing on special teams: speed, trust, and physicality.

A number of other players will need to join their company. It’s a difficult task to figure out the right guys but it’s one made a bit easier thanks to the high quality recruiting classes Steve Sarkisian and company have brought in over the past few years. Even players who aren’t seeing the field on standard downs can be difference-makers on special teams due to the traits that got Texas’ attention in the first place.

Some of the guys Banks mentioned specifically?

• “Kobe Black had a nice year last year for us in spots. We’re expecting big things from him as a veteran coming back. I know he’s not an old player, but he’s a veteran for us because he’s in his second year.”

• “I think Xavier Filsaime has done a really good job (from) last spring. I’m really excited about what he’s going to do as a core guy.”

• “I think you look at young guys like (Graceson) Littleton, Bo Barnes, Kade Phillips. We’ve got a ton of guys that can just run that did well in the spring.”

• He also mentioned Emaree Winston, Nick Townsend, and Lance Jackson as younger players who could have an impact.

• Banks heaped praise on Warren Roberson and Ryan Niblett. Niblett is likely to be a major factor in the return game this year.

Many of those players are in their first year, so drilling miscues out of them will be tougher than it typically is when dealing with players who are in their second, third, fourth, or even fifth seasons. And of course, established veterans like Taaffe, Lefau, and even members of the running back room whose special teams participation was put on ice after multiple preseason injuries will factor into the equation. They need to be clean. So too do younger players who typically work with the offense as they will need to shore up their tackling and physicality.

But the talent accumulated via recruiting classes ranked No. 5, No. 3, No. 6, and No. 1 is undeniable and means there are physically gifted players ready to contribute.

The key to the drill, as Sarkisian says, will be for Banks to make sure they contribute cleanly.

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“Now let’s see what they transition to in the fall,” Banks said.