2026 Delaware Football Positional Preview: Special Teams

After finishing full positional previews for both the offense and defense, we are capping off our 2026 preseason coverage on the special teams unit. This preseason’s framework will cover the four who’s: 1) who is back 2) who is new 3) who said what during the local media availability and 4) who (or what) caught my attention. Let us know if this is a format that you appreciate or if you would like us to try something new.

*Note: All snap counts, PFF grades, and recognition are from the 2025 season

Who is Back?

#39 Josh Cupitt (Punter)
#49 Maddox Sills: 48 special teams snaps (Long Snapper)

Who is New?

#31 Tucker Smack (Salisbury/D3 Transfer, Kicker)
- 5-6 FG (83.3%, 37 long)
- 61-66 PAT (92.4%)
- 52 kickoffs, 63.6 yards/kick, 30 touchbacks
#92 Kason Mullis (High School, Kicker)
#99 Austin LaBellman (High School, Punter)
#45 Luke Epstein (High School/Walk-On, Long Snapper)

Who Said What?

Delaware Co-Defensive Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, Linebackers Coach Rocco DiMeco
- (On replacing Nate Reed): “It’s going to be hard to replace Nate, I’ll start by saying that. He’s got incredible leg strength, he was a top 10 kicker leg strength-wise in college football last year. But these guys are promising and talented. I think a guy like Tucker Smack, who we brought in from Salisbury, is level-headed. He comes from a kicking family, his brother’s in the NFL right now kicking. I think he understands the temperament, which is obviously extremely important at positions like kicker and quarterback, right? All those positions where you need to be cool under pressure and you have this process that you’ve been working on over years and years. I think he’s the type of kid who has the right mindset, tools, and he’s a tireless worker. He’s dedicated to the craft… And then Kason’s a true freshman. He probably has some of the best leg potential that I’ve been around as a young kid. He has a high ceiling. He’s a big, tall kid whose got a booming leg already, and we just have to refine his skills.”
- (On Josh Cupitt’s return from injury): *NOTE*: This recording was on August 6th. “Josh looks great right now. It’s actually his birthday today… he just turned 24, so he’s the oldest kid on the roster probably. He had a great day out there today, he was booming them. I’m really excited for Josh.”
Delaware Punter Josh Cupitt
- (On how his recovery has gone): “It’s been a long time coming, and I couldn’t be more fired up. This is the best group of guys I’ve ever been around too, so just being back not only for myself, but for them, is just a great feeling knowing that I’m fully healthy now.”
- (On which game is circled on his schedule): “Merrimack for two reasons. One, I’m just excited to get back this season and playing, especially at home. Two, two of my best friends, one was a quarterback last year and one’s the fullback this year in Ty Yocum, so I’m looking forward to playing against him. It’ll be a fun game to kick off the season.”
Delaware Kicker Tucker Smack
- (On why he left Salisbury): “I went to Salisbury out of high school and I loved it. Great staff, they’ve obviously been there for awhile. But coming out of high school, the dream is to play a bigger brand of football. I think that’s what I was really going for was finding a program that fits for me: playing bigger ball, something closer to home, and really just along the lines of what am I going to regret not doing looking back in 30 years? Whether that’s transferring, trying to transfer, going back to Salisbury. That was my decision process going through the portal and going through my decision.”
- (On his relationship with the snapper and holder): “I think the main thing about an operation with a snap, kick, and hold is if you can bond with your teammates on a personal level outside of football. I feel like with Josh (Cupitt) and Maddox (Sills), I can easily say those are some of my best friends and we have a great time, but also we’re pretty locked in when it comes to the field and we’ve gotten a ton of reps. I feel like every day is just a climb to get better no matter what circumstance it is.”

Who (or What) Caught my Attention?

Last year’s top two punt returners in Jake Thaw and Kyre Duplessis and the top kick returner in Mysonne Pollard are all graduated, so this room is up for grabs this fall. When asked about punt returner, Delaware Special Teams Coordinator Rocco DiMeco said there are three to four players in the mix, highlighting wide receiver Donovan Lewis as one of them. Lewis returned 2 punts for 24 yards in 2024 against Sacred Heart. Other names with return experience at the collegiate level are:
- Bryson Graves: 24 punt returns for 133 yards, 1 kick return for 15 yards at Coastal Carolina (2023-2025)
- Kaderris Roberts: 9 kick returns for 251 yards at Bowling Green (2025), 1 kick return for 15 yards at Stetson (2022)
- Brandon Rehmann: 6 kick returns for 133 yards (2025)
- Da’Wain Lofton: 2 kick returns for 35 yards at Virginia Tech (2023)
Tucker Smack didn’t start kicking a football until his senior year at Severna Park High School in Maryland. Tucker followed in the footsteps of his older brother Trey, who also didn’t start until late high school during the COVID-19 outbreak. Trey went on to have a fantastic career at Florida, leading to the Green Bay Packers drafting him in the 6th round of the 2026 NFL Draft and now with a perfect 9-9 preseason on kicks. Tucker was hesitant sitting behind his brother in high school, but picked it up after Trey graduated and eventually led himself to Salisbury. At his first media day in Delaware, his first phone call was to show his jersey to his grandfather James Smack, who played for the Blue Hens from 1961-1964.
The program added a pair of high school specialists in Kason Mullis and Austin LaBellman. Mullis, a 6’4″ kicker from Bartow, Florida has been highlighted for his strong leg in fall camp. LaBellman is a 6’3″ punter from Maitland, Florida and has also shown potential in Newark. Josh Cupitt said working with him was a full-circle moment as Shane McDonough, the punter he worked under in the beginning of his collegiate career at Towson, was LaBellman’s coach in high school. Both specialists have an opportunity to work alongside veterans in Cupitt and Smack throughout their first collegiate seasons.