Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
RETURNING STARTER Ryan Barker | K | R-Jr. A former walk-on from Landenberg, Pa., Barker has hit 33 of 37 field goal attempts and 92 of 94 PATs since taking over the starting placekicker job five games into the 2024 sea- son. He's received honorable mention All-Big Ten notice each of the past two years. OTHER RETURNEES Andrew Dufault | LS | R-So. Dufault joined the Lions as a walk-on in 2024. The Westwood, Mass., native didn't see action that year and played in two games last fall. He'll likely battle Blaise Sokach-Minnick for the starting long snapper job. Matthew Parker | K | R-Fr. A walk-on from York, Pa., Parker saw ac- tion in one game last year — Penn State's 2025 season opener against Nevada. He had a 64- yard kickoff in the 46-11 win. Blaise Sokach-Minnick | LS | R-Sr. Sokach-Minnick, a walk-on from West Pittston, Pa, served as a backup to Tyler Du- zansky the past three seasons, seeing action in six games over that span. NEWCOMERS Cristiano Rosa | K | R-Sr. Rosa started out at Central Connecticut but spent the past two seasons at James Madison, where he excelled as a kickoff specialist, with 114 touchbacks on 159 attempts. Lucas Tenbrock | P | Fr. Listed by Rivals as the No. 4 punter in the 2026 recruiting cycle, Tenbrock originally signed with Iowa State before opting instead to follow coach Matt Campbell to PSU. He also served as a placekicker in high school. Nathan Tiyce | P | So. Tiyce is a 25-year-old Aussie who played rugby in his homeland before discovering American football. As a freshman at Missis- sippi State last fall, Tiyce served primarily as a backup. He specialized in pooch kicks, aver- aging 39 yards on 12 attempts, seven of which were downed inside the 20-yard line. 4 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 2026 LOOK AHEAD SPECIAL TEAMS Lions Have Holes To Fill — But Not At Placekicker 2026 Outlook Looking back, it's hard to believe that Ryan Barker took over the starting place- kicker job only after a scholarship kicker proved unreliable at the start of the 2024 season. Barker has been nearly automatic ever since, and his decision to return in 2026 was one of Penn State's bigger wins of the young offseason. The Nittany Lions are also bringing back special teams coordinator Justin Lustig for his third season with the program. Lustig was the only one of PSU's three coordina- tors to be retained by new head coach Matt Campbell, and understandably so con- sidering that Penn State's kicking game was probably the most consistently effective facet of the team in an otherwise disappointing 2025 season. Everything else will be new next fall, including the kickoff- and punt-return units. Four players returned punts last year, and all four are gone. Similarly, all three play- ers who returned more than one kickoff — Nicholas Singleton (7), Corey Smith (6) and King Mack (5) — have departed. Perhaps we'll see redshirt sophomore running back Quinton Martin Jr. get a shot at the latter position. He did it briefly as a true freshman and had an 18-yard return versus Ohio State this past November. The team's biggest loss is Gabe Nwosu, who handled punts and kickoffs last year. The punting job will likely feature a battle between Nathan Tiyce and Lucas Tenbrock. As for kickoffs, Barker stepped in for Nwosu four times in 2025 and seemed like a can- didate for that role, too. But then the Lions added James Madison transfer Cristiano Rosa, presumably to handle kickoffs while Barker focuses on field goals and PATs. — Matt Herb Ryan Barker has made 33 of 37 field goal attempts over the past two seasons. He was 3 for 3 in Penn State's vic- tory over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS