Ryan Eckley bringing a ‘swagger’ to Michigan State’s special teams room

Michigan State has seen several standout players come through Spartan Stadium in recent years. Players like Kirk Cousins, Kenneth Walker III, Bennie Fowler, Dion Sims and Jack Conklin dazzled fans with their offensive performances during the Mark Dantonio era.

On defense, former Spartans like Darqueze Dennard, Trae Waynes, Greg Jones, Shilique Calhoun and Jerel Worthy made plays all over the field during their time at Michigan State.

Though offense and defense take up most of the spotlight on a football team, there’s a third, equally important component to the game in special teams. Specialists are often overlooked, rarely considered top players on the team. While specialists often have a thankless role, their performances can easily change the outcome of a game.

That general lack of attention doesn’t seem to bother Michigan State redshirt sophomore punter Ryan Eckley, however. He knows how much pressure actually comes with being a specialist.

“You’re 15 yards back there away from all the players, you’re alone, you have to know you’re in your own world,” Eckley said after practice on Thursday. “You have to focus for that second-and-a-half where the ball is coming at you and you have to get it off, and hopefully you can hit a good ball.”

That seemingly simple job of catching the football and then kicking it down the field to the opposing team can actually be extremely difficult. Sometimes, if a team’s specialists aren’t all on the same page, it can end in disaster.

And while Eckley’s primary job is to punt the football to the opposing team in a way that gives Michigan State’s defense the best opportunity to stop their competition, Spartan head coach Jonathan Smith demonstrated a willingness at Oregon State to gamble on special teams from time to time.

Should he need to on a fake punt call, Eckley feels confident in his ability to throw the ball, given his experience as a high school quarterback.

“I think it’s fun,” Eckley said of Smith’s occassional creative decisions on special teams. “I’ve seen flashes of some aggressive play calling, which I think is awesome. If they call my number to punt it, I’ll punt it. If they call my number to throw it, I’ll throw it if they want me to.”

Specialists only have so many chances to impact a game, so Eckley has made sure to always stay ready, no matter his responsibility.

“Personally, it’s just about consistency and being on top of my game when my name is called,” Eckley said. “As a punter, your name is called on fourth downs and that’s about it, so when it’s my turn, I just go and do my job.”

Over the years, Eckley has developed a certain “swagger” and confidence in his abilities as he developed from walk-on to starting punter for Michigan State.

“I think there’s a level of swagger that a specialist has to carry at all times, where it’s confidence,” Eckley said. “You don’t want it to be arrogance, but you have to go out there and mentally think, ‘I’m the best punter to ever touch a football.’”

Eckley enjoyed an impressive redshirt freshman season in 2023. He received Freshman All-American honors from College Football Network, as well as Second-Team All-Big Ten honors. Now, heading into his redshirt sophomore season, his personal goals are even bigger than last year’s.

“It’s not really like I’m competing within Michigan State as much as it is I’m trying to compete nationally,” Eckley said. “I want to put my name out there at a national level and be able to compete at that level, rather than just something smaller.”

Eckley is quite familiar with his national competition, thanks to the unique relationships developed between specialists across the country.

“It’s super tight-knit,” Eckley said of the specialist community. “I know every punter we play against in the Big Ten and I know 95 percent of Power Four punters. I was at a camp in Tennessee over the summer where there were probably 60 punters and I know all of them and talk to all of them. I even stayed with a couple of them in a cabin. So it’s a very tight-knit group and it’s fun to play against them. I get to talk to them pre-game and see how they’re doing. We’re all helping each other.”

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