The special teams unit sometimes gets looked down upon as a place where younger, raw players can earn some playing time, but it can really change the flow of the game. I like to think of the kicking/punting unit as the “pre-defense” and the return unit as the “pre-offense.” Georgia Tech fared decently in kickoff returns last year at 59th with a 21 yard average. Punt returns were not good coming in at 110th in the nation with a 4.75 yard average. Fortunately, Georgia Tech returns everyone but Nathan Cottrell who made a return last year along with a deep pool of talented freshmen who could get some early playing time.