SPECIAL TEAMS OUTLOOK:
Fresno State enters its fourth season with legendary special teams guru John Baxter as coordinator in his second stint with the Bulldogs. He is one of three assistant coaches retained by head coach Matt Entz.
The Bulldogs return their starting kicker, punter, and long snapper from 2024, but enter the season without their primary returners, Jalen Moss and Malik Sherrod.
Moss handled both punt and kick return duties in 2024, finishing with 18 punt returns for 231 yards (12.8 avg) and 15 kickoff returns for 228 yards (15.2 avg). Sherrod, sidelined by injury four games into the 2024 season, had previously logged 21 career kickoff returns for 488 yards, averaging 23.2 yards per return.
The only returning player with return experience at the FBS level is wide receiver Jordan Brown, who recorded three kickoff returns for 16 yards and one punt return for eight yards last season.
WHO'S BACK:Dylan Lynch, recently named to the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award watchlist, has been Fresno State's primary kicker for the past three seasons, and his 213 career points rank 13th in program history. He is the first kicker to crack the list since Kevin Goessling (2008-11) became the Bulldogs' all-time leading scorer.
While Lynch's field goal percentage dipped in 2024 to 65% (13-of-20) after hitting 80% (24-of-30) in 2023, some of that decline can be attributed to offensive struggles. The Bulldogs recorded just 245 first downs in 2024, their fewest since 2019. Only 20 field goals were attempted, the lowest total since 2016 and 10 fewer than in 2023. Also, 12 of his 20 attempts (60%) were from 40 yards or more, including five from beyond 45 yards, where he went 2-for-5. In comparison, just 43% of his attempts in 2023 were from 40-plus.
"Dylan has had a really good offseason," said Baxter. "I know that last season didn't end the way he wanted it to, but one thing I know about Dylan is that he's extremely mentally tough. I'm really confident that his drive and desire to be great are there."
In his career, Lynch is 93-of-94 on PATs.
Australian native Clay Lawrence served as Fresno State's primary punter in all 13 games in 2024, finishing with 58 punts for 2,375 yards and averaging 40.95 yards per punt. He ranked fifth in the Mountain West in punting average and fourth in total punting yards. As a former rugby player, Lawrence had never played or even watched a football game before coming to America to play for the Bulldogs. His first-ever football game came on one of the biggest stages in college football, against Michigan inside the Big House.
Wesley Brown was the primary long snapper in all 13 games last season. Brown was named to the 2025 Patrick Mannelly Award watchlist. The award is presented annually to the best long snapper in the FBS.
Though there's been buzz about newcomers stepping in to replace return game production, Baxter has praised redshirt freshman wide receiver Jordan Malau'ulu for his potential as a punt returner and the progress he's made this offseason.
Other returners include punter Nick Verdugo, who served as the primary holder on field goals and PATs last season, and kicker Conor Tripp.
WHO'S NEW: The unit adds two true freshmen and two transfers.
Kicker Ryan Kobzeff chose to stay home and suit up for the Bulldogs. A Clovis North High graduate, Kobzeff was a three-year starter at both kicker and punter for the Broncos. He earned second-team All-TRAC honors after helping lead his team to a CIF Valley Championship.
Jack Baldi graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High, where he played multiple positions including fullback, defensive line, tight end, offensive line and was a long snapper. Baldi was a conference champion in both his sophomore and senior seasons, and helped his team capture a state title as a junior. He was named the Special Teams Player of the Year after his senior season.
Transfers Jayon Farrar and Rayshon Luke are newcomers that have the ability to make up for production lost in the return game.
Farrar, a wide receiver, joins the Bulldogs after a breakout season at Ventura College in 2024. The unanimous first-team all-conference selection totaled 1,054 all-purpose yards in 11 games with 47 receptions for 542 yards and nine touchdowns. He made an impact on special teams, returning 18 kickoffs for 511 yards, including a season-long 72-yard return.
"Jayon has all the skills to be a great returner," said Baxter. "He's got vision. He's got speed. He's got confidence. He's just learning how to handle the ball in all the situations that happen in the kicking game, but he's making exciting progress."
Luke spent three seasons at Arizona as a running back, appearing in 24 games. While he only logged two kickoff returns as a Wildcat, Baxter is confident he can be a valuable asset to the Bulldogs' return game this season.
WHAT TO WATCH: The Bulldogs struggled to gain any consistency on special teams last season, ranking only 11th in the Mountain West in kickoff return average (14.6 yards per return), ninth in covering punts (12.9 yards per return allowed) and sixth in covering kickoffs (20.5 yards per return allowed). They also allowed a punt return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
But special teams units coached by Baxter have had some game-changing and game-saving plays in his two stints at Fresno State.
In his Fresno State career, Baxter has coached the 'Dogs in 8-of-11 kickoff returns for touchdowns, 18-of-42 punt returns for touchdowns, 7-of-14 blocked punts returned for touchdowns, 4-of-6 blocked field goals returned for touchdowns, and 1-of-2 PATs returned for two points.
Baxter has coached up a new return man in each season since his arrival back to Fresno State - Nikko Remigio in 2022, Malik Sherrod in 2023 and Jalen Moss in 2024. All three of those players ran back at least one punt or kickoff return for a touchdown in their respective seasons
The Bulldogs could easily rebound in 2025.