Players on special teams units only take the field on punts, kickoffs, field goals and extra points. These plays take mere seconds, giving specialists precious little time to shine.
“I think my favorite thing about punting is that you only get one shot, one kill,” Maryland punter Colton Spangler said. “You’re judged on five or six punts a game, while the offense and defense have 80 plays in that game. That’s my time to show everybody what I’m working on.”
During games, Spangler is all about staying locked in. When the Terps’ offense has the ball, the fifth-year senior will punt into a kicking net on the sideline.
“I definitely say that’s the hardest because it could be third-and-20, and then we have a great offense so then they’ll go and make a first down,” Spangler said. “You’re like, ‘All right, I just warmed up for a few minutes.’ I’ve got to take a second to breathe and then start all over again.”
Spangler, a native of Anne Arundel County, has excelled during a five-year career in College Park. Spangler immediately got called on to punt during his freshman year in 2019 and has blossomed into one of the best punters in program history.
But Spangler showed fans a different kind of ability in Maryland’s win against Michigan State on Sept. 23. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw three straight incomplete passes on the Terps’ first drive after halftime, so the punting unit took the field. Spangler saw an opening down the left side and, instead of punting, decided to go for it. The 6-foot, 192-pound punter rushed for 14 yards, extending the drive.
Spangler made that decision all on his own.
“Our coach trusts me to make decisions, so we have it set up that if I see an opening I can take it,” Spangler said. “… I thought I ran probably about 50, 60 yards, but it was only 14 yards so it definitely felt a lot longer in my head. But I was happy to extend the drive for my team.”
Spangler received a warm welcome from his teammates when returning to the sideline after that play.
“It was awesome. I never came over to the sideline and got that many high fives before,” Spangler said. “The whole team knows that I’m pretty athletic, so they were hoping for one of those this season.”
That play did not surprise Rob Elliott, who was familiar with that athleticism from coaching him at Chesapeake High School in Pasadena.
“Seeing him run that fake punt was awesome,” Elliott said. “… I knew that’s something that he had the ability to do.”
A Pasadena native, Spangler is one of 52 Terps who play for their state school. With College Park close to home, he attended several Maryland football games with his family growing up.
“When I was getting recruited, there [were] a few other schools that caught my eye,” Spangler said. “But when I got a visit to come up here to Maryland, it was a no-brainer for me.”
Spangler did not start playing football until seventh grade because his mother, Crista, was afraid of her son getting hurt. His soccer background led him to kicking, though he played wide receiver and some defensive back prior to college as well.
Chesapeake won the first regional title in program history during Spangler’s senior season in 2018. The future Terp played a big role in the 3A East title game against James M. Bennett High. Elliott recalled that Spangler kicked three field goals, caught a touchdown pass and had multiple touchbacks on kickoffs in the 36-21 win.
“He was just a kid that every single coach loved to coach because it was always positive, it was always hard work,” Elliott said. “Every day he was striving to try and get better.”
When Spangler first started at Maryland in 2019, he split punting duties with Anthony Pecorella. The decision as to which punter would kick ultimately came down to what hash the ball was on.
“At one point [Spangler] was the left-hash guy because he was left-footed,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said. “… Colton took over the job a year ago and has really done a good job … directionally putting the ball where we want it to be, which allows us to cover only one-third of the field. His hang time has been great.”
Entering the Terps’ game against Northwestern on Oct. 28, Spangler has punted 25 times in 2023, averaging 43.2 yards per punt. Twelve of Spangler’s punts have pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line.
Spangler was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List in 2022 and 2023 and earned an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in 2022. He sits 10th in program history in total punting yards entering play on Oct. 28.
“It’s really big for us because the vertical field position matters to us,” Terps cornerback Tarheeb Still said. “So if we have a punter that can flip the field and pin a team down there, it does a lot for our defense. We want to be able to keep them down there to put our offense in a better position to score.”
Still serves as a punt returner for Maryland and has practiced returning Spangler’s punts in practice.
“He’s a really good directional kicker,” Still said. “He knows how to keep the ball away from you and put it on an edge where his guys can go cover. I think his kick placement is definitely better than a lot of kickers you see.”
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 283: October/November 2023
Originally published Oct. 18, 2023