Green Wave 2020 Positional Preview: Specialists

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane specialist unit is filled with returners this season. The Green Wave return two of three starters: redshirt senior kicker Merek Glover and junior punter Ryan Wright.

The Unit
• Glover and Wright return as the starting kicker and punter from last season.
• Glover was a perfect 51-51 on PATs last season. He went 13-for-17 on field goals as well.
• The Jericho, New York, native ranks in the top 10 in program history in multiple categories, including most points kicking (sixth – 205), field goals made (eighth – 31), PATs made (fourth – 124), PATs attempted (fourth – 128) and PAT Percentage (seventh – .968).
• Glover also served as the kickoff specialist. He earned a nomination for the Burlsworth Trophy last season, which is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on.
• Wright started at punter last season. He averaged 41.4 yards per punt last season.
• Junior Amare Jones comes back as the primary kick and punt returner. He finished the year with 1,611 all-purpose yards, which ranks seventh in program history all-time, fifth in the American Athletic Conference and 22nd nationally.
• Jones had a season best 60-yard kick return against MSU. He also totaled two touchdowns and finished the game with a season-high 249 yards at Army.
• The Frisco, Texas, native was named the second-most productive returner by 247sports.com after last season. He was also named to the Paul Hornung Award and the Doak Award watch lists headed into the 2020 season.
• Jones was named First Team Preseason All-AAC punt returner by Pro Football Focus. He earned second team honors for the same position from Phil Steele.
• Redshirt freshman Ethan Hudak earned 2020 Preseason All-AAC second team honors.
• Redshrit junior Matt Smith, redshirt sophomores Casey Glover and Sterling Stockwell and sophomore Graham Dable round out the returners for the specialists.
• The unit loses Geron Eatherly, who earned Fourth Team All-American honors from Phil Steele last season.
• Special teams coach Chris Couch is entering his fifth season with the Green Wave.

Coach Kennedy on the specialists
“We have a veteran group here and we are excited to see what they are all going to bring to the table. Ryan Wright and Merek Glover are returning starters. They had a really good camp. We also have Ethan Hudak who is a redshirt freshman who had a great camp. Matt Smith, who we just put on scholarship, has had a great camp. We’ve got great depth and we are excited to see what the season holds for us.”

Tulane is set to kickoff the season in Mobile, Alabama, against South Alabama on Saturday, September 12. The Green Wave are coming off a record setting 2019 campaign that was highlighted by a win in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl to give Tulane back-to-back bowl victories for the first time in program history. The Green Wave captured the AutoNation Cure Bowl in 2018.

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