Special Special Special

Drew Schmid

It's nice to round out the last three unit forecasts with three good assessments in a row. 

And I can do that because the final group I'm looking at in this series is the Special Teams and this is a stellar group all around.

Some of the best news Columbia got this offseason came care of Punter Drew Schmid, who decided to return in 2021 for a 5th year. Schmid is more than a punter with great stats, he's also a big emotional booster for the team and has been since the day he committed. 

Kicker Alex Felkins freshman campaign in 2019 lived up to the considerable hype surrounding his abilities. He had a 51-yard FG at Princeton and a 50-yarder at St. Francis in his first collegiate game ever. I also thought his clutch FG to send the Harvard game into OT was a big deal for a freshman to pull off. Now officially a junior, the big question is will Felkins break the Ivy League longest field goal record of 54 yards currently held by a number of players, but last achieved by Yale's Tom Mante in 2009?

The return game for Columbia has been electric in recent seasons thanks to standouts like Mike Roussos and Will Allen. Both are back this season, but it's possible they won't be returning kicks and punts as much in hopes of protecting their key roles as starting WR (Roussos) and starting CB (Allen). If I had to guess though, Roussos will be deemed just too good to not use as the primary returner while Allen may be used sparingly if necessary. 

Kick coverage has been a strength for the Lions for some time, especially in the Bagnoli era. Linebackers and Special Teams coach Justin Stovall can make an argument for being Bagnoli's best assistant coach during his entire Columbia tenure. This year, he is overseeing an abundance of talent all around. 

Special Teams have played key roles in several wins for the Lions since Bagnoli took over this program, and fans can expect that to continue in 2021.