Any time Weber State football sends out a return unit, one thing’s for sure: the opponent will do everything it possibly can to keep the Wildcats from a chance to return a punt or a kickoff.

That’s because of one man: senior receiver Rashid Shaheed.

Even despite those efforts, which even Power 5 program Utah will replicate in the season opener on Sept. 2, Shaheed has returned five kickoffs for touchdowns in his Weber State career. Just one more will tie Shaheed for the all-time FCS record of six career kickoffs returned for touchdowns (Jerome Mathis, Hampton, 2001-04).

Shaheed’s speed combines with his ability to hit the right holes in WSU’s blocking scheme to make any kickoff not deep enough to be a touchback a dangerous proposition.

Shaheed headlines Weber State’s special teams units heading into the fall 2021 season. On kickoffs, he’ll be joined by running backs in Josh Davis or Dave Jones and, on punts, receiver Haze Hadley is listed as Shaheed’s return backup.

On kickoffs, Shaheed averages 29.1 yards per return, with three of his return TDs going for 100 yards. On punts — where merely fair-catching the ball to avoid losing field position as it rolls behind you is a job well done — Shaheed averages 12.3 yards per return in his career.

Jones has carved out an important role on special teams. The running back, who spent time as a defensive back but is again with the offense, has become a skilled kick-coverage specialist. In 2019, he made 16 tackles and recovered one fumble, and most of that work was on punt and kickoff coverage.

At placekicker, freshman Kyle Thompson gets the starting nod after making 4 of 7 field goals in the spring season. He made two important field goals at Southern Utah, including a 51-yarder, that were key to a 19-16 win. But he missed a crucial short kick in the playoff loss to Southern Illinois.

Leading 21-17, Weber State’s first offensive drive of the second half went 14 plays to the SIU 15, where Thompson missed a 32-yarder. SIU went on to win 34-31.

Thompson, who will also have kickoff duty, showed himself a capable kicker in his short true-freshman campaign. With time, it seems the field-goal consistency WSU became used to with Trey Tuttle may develop, which would go a long way into making the Wildcats a tougher opponent.

Junior Mackenzie Morgan, a transfer from NC State, made his WSU punting debut in the spring. By season’s end, Morgan was every bit as much the weapon as Doug Lloyd and Jacob DeMaio before him, a promising prospect for a unit that has traditionally helped Weber State’s defense be as tough as it has been.

For the season, 17 of his 31 punts were downed inside the 20. In his final two games, Morgan put on a show.

Against Idaho State, he punted five times with an average of 51.6 yards, hitting one 65 yards and downing all but one inside the 20. Those four punts were downed or fair-caught at the ISU 3-, 8-, 10- and 13-yard lines.

Morgan had just one punt in the playoff loss, booting a 54-yarder late in the third quarter that was downed at the SIU 6.

Morgan will also serve as the starting holder, and freshman Grant Sands is the long snapper for the punt and field goal units.

Weber State’s other rostered kickers are freshmen: Riley Moore, a transfer from Western Michigan who may also be the backup punter, and Tanner Dayton, a Spanish Fork native added to the team for fall camp.

Newsletter