2026 Position Preview: A New Look on Special Teams
8/28/2026 10:54:00 AM | Football
Coastal Carolina will have new faces handling several key special teams roles in 2026, with competition at both kicker and punter and a pair of options at long snapper.
The Chanticleers enter the season with seven specialists on the roster, including kickers Nico Cavanillas Alti, Daniel Porto and Leo Liptak, punters Roland Podesta and Andrew Ginsberg, and long snappers Mitch Weisenborn and Gavin Carrick.
The competition at kicker features a pair of experienced transfers in Cavanillas Alti and Porto, along with freshman Liptak.
Cavanillas Alti arrives in Conway after helping South Carolina State capture the HBCU national championship last season. The Madrid, Spain, native was a perfect 51-for-51 on extra points and connected on a 48-yard field goal in overtime of the Celebration Bowl. He previously spent two seasons at Keiser, earning Second Team All-Sun Conference honors in 2024 after converting 11-of-13 field goals and 58-of-59 extra points.
Porto also brings an accomplished résumé to the competition after earning First Team All-SWAC honors at Florida A&M in 2025. The senior from Recife, Brazil, connected on 17-of-21 field goals and scored 74 points for the Rattlers. A year earlier at Holy Cross, Porto made 13 field goals and set a school record with a 53-yarder against Lafayette
.
Liptak gives the Chanticleers another international option at kicker. The 6-foot-4 freshman from Graz, Austria, helped the Graz Giants capture the 2026 Austrian Bowl XLI championship, connecting on three field goals, including the game-winner. He was rated as a five-star specialist and the No. 11 kicking prospect nationally by Chris Sailer Kicking.
Coastal will also turn to a new punter in 2026, with Podesta and Ginsberg competing for the role.
Podesta brings one of the more unique backgrounds on the roster to Conway. A native of Western Sydney, Australia, he played in a rugby league before pursuing college football and earned two international caps for Ireland. Podesta also spent time in the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' junior system and operated his own kicking academy in Australia before making the transition to American football.
Ginsberg joins the Chanticleers after spending his freshman season at Huntingdon College, where he competed as both a punter and kicker.
At long snapper, Weisenborn arrives after handling punt snaps in all 13 games for Missouri State as a freshman. He earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors and recorded four special teams tackles, including two against SMU. Carrick returns for his sophomore season after spending his freshman year developing in the Coastal program.
The Chanticleers enter the season with seven specialists on the roster, including kickers Nico Cavanillas Alti, Daniel Porto and Leo Liptak, punters Roland Podesta and Andrew Ginsberg, and long snappers Mitch Weisenborn and Gavin Carrick.
The competition at kicker features a pair of experienced transfers in Cavanillas Alti and Porto, along with freshman Liptak.
Cavanillas Alti arrives in Conway after helping South Carolina State capture the HBCU national championship last season. The Madrid, Spain, native was a perfect 51-for-51 on extra points and connected on a 48-yard field goal in overtime of the Celebration Bowl. He previously spent two seasons at Keiser, earning Second Team All-Sun Conference honors in 2024 after converting 11-of-13 field goals and 58-of-59 extra points.
Porto also brings an accomplished résumé to the competition after earning First Team All-SWAC honors at Florida A&M in 2025. The senior from Recife, Brazil, connected on 17-of-21 field goals and scored 74 points for the Rattlers. A year earlier at Holy Cross, Porto made 13 field goals and set a school record with a 53-yarder against Lafayette
.
Liptak gives the Chanticleers another international option at kicker. The 6-foot-4 freshman from Graz, Austria, helped the Graz Giants capture the 2026 Austrian Bowl XLI championship, connecting on three field goals, including the game-winner. He was rated as a five-star specialist and the No. 11 kicking prospect nationally by Chris Sailer Kicking.
Coastal will also turn to a new punter in 2026, with Podesta and Ginsberg competing for the role.
Podesta brings one of the more unique backgrounds on the roster to Conway. A native of Western Sydney, Australia, he played in a rugby league before pursuing college football and earned two international caps for Ireland. Podesta also spent time in the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' junior system and operated his own kicking academy in Australia before making the transition to American football.
Ginsberg joins the Chanticleers after spending his freshman season at Huntingdon College, where he competed as both a punter and kicker.
At long snapper, Weisenborn arrives after handling punt snaps in all 13 games for Missouri State as a freshman. He earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors and recorded four special teams tackles, including two against SMU. Carrick returns for his sophomore season after spending his freshman year developing in the Coastal program.
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