Trio of Florida special teamers hit transfer portal

5 days ago 2

Florida's special teams unit is depleted. Kicker Evan Noel, punter Hayden Craig and long snapper Mack Mulhern all announced their decision to enter the transfer portal, leaving the future of each position in doubt.

Trey Smack, Florida's primary placekicker for the past three seasons, said the trio was "still figuring it out" to 247Sports in July.

"Hayden Craig was here in the winter, and he's kind of figuring it out," Smack said. "He's here for spring ball, here for summer. He's put on a lot of muscle and stuff, and Evan Noel and Mack Mulhern, and they just got here in the summer. So, they're still figuring it out.

"They're a little immature, and we're trying to point them in the right direction, giving them a bunch of stuff to work on. And, they're developing right now, and they're just figuring it out during especially fall camp, which is an interesting time for them."

Not many details surfaced about their progression over the season, however. With all three players being so young, adding more veteran pieces to the special teams unit could be the direction Jon Sumrall's staff has decided on.

Kicker Evan Noel

Noel, the No. 1 kicker in the 2025 signing class, was the heir apparent to Trey Smack, who is out of eligibility. Former Florida special teams coordinator Joe Houston, who is now with LSU, was a key figure in his recruitment with the Gators.

"To Coach Napier, thank you fo allowing me the opportunity to play for UF," Noel said in his announcement post. "To Coach Houston and all the former UF staff, thank you for preparing me for success and the continued guidance and belief in me as a player."

247Sports ranks Noel the No. 2 kicker in the transfer portal, behind Auburn's Towns McGough. Other top options include Cal's Abram Murray (No. 4), Michigan State's Martin Connington (No. 5), Arkansas' Scott Starzyk (No. 6) and Nebraska's Tristan Alvano (No. 7). Illinois' David Olano (No. 3) has already committed. The remaining kickers in the transfer portal have a two-star grade or lower.

Punter Hayden Craig

Craig was the No. 7 punter in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, and a "five-star" punter, according to Kohls Kicking. On3 also had him as the No. 3 punter in the class.

Florida brought in Tommy Doman from Michigan during the 2025 transfer portal cycle to help bridge the gap between Jeremy Crawshaw and Craig, but now the succession line is unclear. Doman is out of eligibility.

"He's a lefty," Napier said after Craig signed. "Even Crawhsaw stamped him at camp. I asked Crawshaw what he thought, and he said, 'That lefty from Maine, from Canada.' He's also a really good kicker. He made a 50-something-yarder to win a game for his team this past year. I love his parents. His parents, ton of sacrifice for him to come to the States and play, boarding school. A ton of sacrifice there for that family, what they did. That whole recruitment of specialists is a gauntlet, right? So I just think they're on a mission there to help him."

The top five punters in the transfer include Iowa's Rhys Dakin, Cal's Michael Kern, Rice's Alex Bacchetta and Craig. The rest of the options are rated two stars or lower.

Longsnapper Mack Mulhern

While Mulhern was a walk-on last season, he came to Florida as one of the top long snappers in the 2025 recruiting class. Kohls had him ranked No. 2 at the position, and On3 had him at No. 10.

"Mulhern has been one of the best snappers in America at every Kohl’s Snapping Camp he competes at," according to Kohl's comments. "He has the rare ability to be violent with his snapping motion but stay under control on his finish. While at the Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp, Mulhern scored on all 20 of his charted long snaps and finished with the 2nd-highest overall score in the 2025 class. He has some of the fastest hands in the country and consistently snaps in the .66-.68 second range."

Rocco Underwood established himself as one of the best collegiate long snappers over his five years at Florida. He won the Mannelly Award in 2024 and was a semifinalist in 2025. Replacing him will be a challenge.

247Sports did not give any long snapper currently in the transfer portal a three-star grade. Purdue's Justin Schmidt and Tulsa's Parker Stone are both two-star prospects. The rest have no grade. Florida could promote one of its developing offensive linemen, however.

Florida Gators in the transfer portal

Florida has lost 31 players (28 scholarship) to the transfer portal this offseason, including Craig, Mulhern and Noel. For an up-to-date list of players in the portal, check out Gators Wire's tracker.

On offense, quarterback DJ Lagway, running backs KD Daniels, Chad Gasper Jr. and Treyaun Webb, wide receivers Tank Hawkins, Aidan Mizell, Naeshaun Montgomery, Mike Peterson Jr. (walk-on), Muizz Tounkara, Eugene Wilson III and Jackson Wade (walk-on), offensive linemen Devon Manuel, Marcus Mascoll, Noel Portnjagin and Enoch Wangoy and tight ends Hayden Hansen and Cameron Kossman are departing.

Defensive lineman Michai Boireau, Tarvorise Brown (walk-on), EDGE Jayden Woods, linebacker Grayson Howard and defensive backs Jordan Castell, Josiah Davis, Sharif Denson, Aaron Gates, Jamroc Grimsley and Teddy Foster are also gone.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football kicker, punter and long snapper to transfer portal

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