Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 8 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / S P E C I A L T E A M S / / / / / / / PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Justin Lustig: An Erie native and Buck- nell graduate who made coaching stops at Villanova and Edinboro, Lustig has strong ties to Pennsylvania. That made him a perfect fit as special teams coach after Stacy Collins headed to Boise State shortly after the 2023 season. Lustig reached the Power Five level in 2017 when Syracuse hired him to oversee its special teams units and running backs. He spent four seasons with the Orange, helping them lead the ACC in punting in 2017, '18 and '19. During his tenure, Syra- cuse averaged 43.7 yards per punt. Lustig moved on to Vanderbilt in 2021 and had the same effect on the Commo- dores' punting units. In his second season, Matthew Hayball averaged 45.4 yards per punt, ranking second in the SEC and 13th nationally. In 2023, Hayball averaged 47.6 yards and won first-team All-SEC honors. In his first season at PSU, three Nittany Lions — placekicker Ryan Barker, long snapper Tyler Duzansky and kickoff re- turner Nicholas Singleton — earned hon- orable mention All-Big Ten honors. Last fall, Gabriel Nwosu won third-team hon- ors, while Barker, Duzansky and Singleton repeated as honorable mention choices. KEY RETURNEES RYAN BARKER PK | R-Jr. | 6-2 | 191 • Hit 18 of 19 field goal attempts and 44 of 45 PAT tries as a redshirt sophomore in 2025, with a long kick of 49 yards. • Became Penn State's starting placekicker five games into the 2024 season and hit 15 of 18 attempts, including a walk-off winner against USC in overtime. • Received honorable mention All-Big Ten notice both years. • Joined the Lions as a walk-on in 2023 out of Kennett (Pa.) High. • Kicked 6 field goals as a senior, including a school-record 45-yarder, to finish with 51 points. ANDREW DUFAULT LS | R-So. | 6-1 | 249 • Joined the Nittany Lions as a walk-on in 2024 and did not see action during his true freshman season. • Played in wins over Nevada and Villa- nova last year. MATTHEW PARKER PK | R-Fr. | 6-0 | 224 • Had a 64-yard kickoff and converted a PAT in Penn State's season-opening win over Nevada last year but did not see action in any other games. • Hit 12 of 15 field goal attempts as a senior at York (Pa.) Central, including a school-record 57-yarder. BLAISE SOKACH-MINNICK LS | R-Sr. | 6-3 | 216 • Served as a backup to Tyler Duzansky the past three seasons, seeing action in six games over that span. • Was a four-year letterman and a captain during his senior season at Wyoming Area High in Exeter, Pa. NEWCOMERS CRISTIANO ROSA KO | R-Sr. | 5-11 | 205 • Averaged 63 yards as the primary kickoff specialist at James Madison last sea- son, earning touchbacks on 62 of his 90 attempts (68.9 percent), including 9 against Old Dominion alone. • Totaled 52 touchbacks on 69 kickoff at- tempts (75.4 percent) in 2024. • Began his career at Central Connecticut State, where he played in one game dur- ing his two years at the school. LUCAS TENBROCK P | Fr. | 6-6 | 210 • Originally signed with Iowa State before opting to follow coach Matt Campbell to PSU. • Listed in the Rivals Industry Ranking as a three-star prospect and the No. 5 punter in the 2026 recruiting cycle. • Was Chris Sailer Kicking's No. 1 punter nationally. • Contributed as a placekicker and offen- sive lineman at St. Charles (Ill.) North High. NATHAN TIYCE P | So. | 6-5 | 232 • Served primarily as a backup punter dur- ing his freshman season at Mississippi State last fall, specializing in pooch kicks. • Averaged 39 yards on 12 attempts, seven of which were downed inside the 20-yard line. • Played rugby in his home country of Australia before discovering American football and attending the ProKick Aus- tralia academy. Quick Facts Position coach: Justin Lustig (third season) Returning starter: PK Ryan Barker Departing starters: KR Nicholas Singleton, LS Tyler Duzansky, P/KO Gabriel Nwosu, PR Trebor Peña, PR Devonte Ross Projected new starters: KO Cris- tiano Rosa; KR Carson Hansen, Koby Howard or James Peoples; LS Andrew Dufault or Blaise Sokach- Minnick; P Lucas Tenbrock or Na- than Tiyce; PR Zion Tracy Top reserve: PK Matthew Parker Newcomers: Hansen, Peoples, Rosa, Tenbrock, Tiyce BY THE NUMBERS 1st Lucas Tenbrock's national rank among punters in the 2026 recruiting class, per Chris Sailer Kicking. 3 Blocked punts by Dani Dennis-Sutton last season. The senior defensive end tied a single-season school record previously shared by Jack Ham and Andre Collins. 90 Consecutive games in which Penn State has not given up a special teams touch- down, a streak dating back to the 2019 season. Blaise Sokach-Minnick is vying to be Penn State's starting long snapper following the departure of Tyler Duzansky. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS