Hello everyone, we are in the month of July, and Media Days are fast approaching. In addition, that means Last Word On College Football is doing our annual countdown of the top returning players in the Power Four programs. Today, our focus is on the ACC and, more specifically, special teams. In previous installments, we looked at the top special teams players in the Big 12, followed by the Big Ten. Let’s start the ACC’s Top Returning Specialists for 2025 with the kickers. One note, if a player transferred to the ACC from another conference, they don’t count for the purposes of this list. However, players transferring within the league are allowed. One thing you’ll notice is that there are many different players from 2024.
Counting Down The Best Of The Best
Coming Through In The Clutch
3. John Love- Virginia Tech- He’s an honorable mention All-ACC performer the last two years. Love made all 42 extra points and 16 of 18 field goals. He also hit three kicks of over 50 yards and made a career-high 60-yarder versus Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
2. Nolan Hauser- Clemson- As a freshman, Hauser nailed 59 of 60 extra points and 18 of 24 field goals. As a result, he set a true freshman record of 113 points. Of course, his biggest kick came in the ACC Championship game when he nailed a 56-yarder to beat SMU.
1. Collin Rogers– SMU- A season ago, Rogers led the conference with 124 points. In addition, he made 52 extra points and set the school season record with 24 made field goals. That number was fourth best in college football. Furthermore, Rogers set a school record with seven kicks of over 50 yards. Throw in 14 more from over 40 yards, and it’s no surprise he’s our top returning ACC kicker.
Continuing with the ACC’s Top Returning Specialists for 2025, let’s move to the punters.
Big Game Boomers
3. Daniel Sparks- Virginia- Last season, Sparks finished fifth in the league with 2,543 yards and a 44.6-yard average per punt. In addition, he landed 25 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line. As a result, he made Honorable Mention All-ACC.
2. Kade Reynoldson- Duke- As a true freshman, Reynoldson led the ACC in punting yards with 3,275 and was sixth with a 43.8-yard average. He also led the league with 27 punts inside the 20-yard line, while 17 went more than 50 yards. Like Sparks, he was an Honorable Mention All-ACC performer.
1. Jack Stonehouse- Syracuse- In 2024, the redshirt junior set a school record, averaging 45.7 yards per kick. He also had 10 punts over 50 yards and landed 11 inside the 20-yard line. Stonehouse only had three touchbacks in 33 kicks last year. Another Honorable Mention All-ACC performer, he should move up the charts this year and is our top returning punter.
Time to finish up the ACC’s top returning specialists for 2025 with a look at the ace return men.
Game-Changing Performers
3. Tucker Holloway- Virginia Tech- Back at 100 percent after missing last season with a knee injury, Holloway looks to pick up where he left off. In 2023, Holloway led the ACC with a 12.9 average per return and was seventh in the country. In addition, his 249 return yards put him second. The redshirt junior was third-team All-ACC two years ago and looks to move up this year.
2. Samuel Singleton- Florida State- The freshman was a bright spot in a bad season for the Seminoles. Appearing in nine games, Singleton finished third in the ACC with 373 return yards and a 24.9 average. Additionally, he took a 95-yard touchdown against Duke. As a result, Singleton was the Special Teams Newcomer of the Year and a FWAA Freshman All-American.
1. Desmond Reid- Pittsburgh- The senior had a great first season for the Panthers. Not only is he one of the top running backs, but he also tops our special teams list. Last year, Reid was second in the ACC with a 12.2-yard average per return. He took one 78 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Kent State. Reid was a first-team All-ACC selection as a return specialist, and he starts 2025 as Last Word’s top returning player.
As we mentioned in the beginning, for our purposes, we don’t count players who transferred from outside the ACC. That’s why you don’t see Keelan Marion and Jacob De Jesus, who came into the league from BYU and UNLV, respectively.
Thanks for checking out the ACC’s top returning specialists for 2025. Soon we’ll be back with our final conference. That, of course, is the SEC, where “it just means more.”
Main Photo: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
