Football Position Breakdown: Special Teams
Jaden Yenjai

FB8/22/2025 6:06 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Football Position Breakdown: Special Teams

Bears Enter 2025 With Revamped Special Teams Unit

The Room:
Place Kickers Punters Long Snappers Kick/Punt Return - TBA

ST Notes:
  • The Golden Bears have revamped their special teams unit entering 2025. Three of the special team newcomers spent the 2024 season on College Football Playoff teams last season – Michael Kern (Texas), Chase Meyer (Penn State) and Rino Monteforte (Notre Dame).
  • In 16 games for the Longhorns last season, Kern attempted 41 punts for 1,706 yards. He averaged 41.6 yards per punt with a long of 57 yards in his freshman season. Overall, Kern tallied four punts over 50 yards, forced 22 fair catches, placed 10 punts inside the 20-yard line and only had three touchbacks for Texas.
  • Meyer, who has spent time at Penn, Tulsa and Penn State during his career, was named to the 2024 Lou Groza Award watch list prior to redshirting. At Tulsa, he earned third-team All-AAC honors. He converted 17-of-20 field goal attempts and 30-of-31 PATs.
  • Murray, a transfer from ACC foe Miami, redshirted last season for the Hurricanes. Out of high school, he was ranked among the nation's best kicker prospects. He was rated the No. 3 kicker nationally by On3 and ranked the No. 4 kicker by 247Sports.
  • Monteforte, a redshirt junior who joined the Bears in the spring of 2025, played in all 16 games as a 2024 junior at Notre Dame, including the national championship game against Ohio State.
  • Preseason Second-Team All-ACC selection (Phil Steele) and UNLV transfer Jacob De Jesus is among the top candidates to lead the Bears in punt and kickoff returns after pacing the Rebels in both categories last season.
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