Few fan bases understand and appreciate the importance of specialists than Ole Miss.
In last season’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia, Lucas Carneiro practically won the game for the Rebels with a pair of 50-yard field goals and a 47-yard game-winning field goal.
That’s why positions like kickers, punters and even long snappers can be so important. They’re only on the field for a short time, but that time can have a huge impact.
Fortunately for Ole Miss, Carneiro is back as is last season’s punter, Oscar Bird, and long snapper, Caden Blakenship.
Here’s a breakdown of each specialist listed on the Rebels’ roster.
Ole Miss Punters
#33 Oscar Bird, So.
- H/W: 6-foot-4, 220 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Played in 15 games and punted 41 times for 1,885 yards, averaging 46 yards per punt.
- How arrived in Oxford: Joined Ole Miss as part of the 2025 signing class after spending three seasons playing professional Australian rules football for Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League.
#47 Stephon Weise, Fr.
- H/W: 6-foot-1, 195 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Valley Christian High School): Punted 25 times for 1,111 yards, averaging 44.4 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards.
Ole Miss Kickers
#17 Lucas Carneiro, Sr.
- H/W: 5-foot-11, 195 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Played in 15 games and made 31 of 35 field-goal attempts and all 56 extra-point attempts. Finished with a season-long field goal of 58 yards and scored 149 points.
- How arrived in Oxford: Transferred to Ole Miss after spending three seasons at Western Kentucky. He served as the Hilltoppers’ primary kicker in 2023 and 2024 before arriving in Oxford in January 2025.
#41 Peter McStravick, Fr.
- H/W: 6-foot-3, 200 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ireland/Leader Kicking): McStravick trained as a field-goal and kickoff specialist before joining Ole Miss.
#46 Jackson Moore, Jr.
- H/W: 5-foot-10, 180 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Appalachian State): Was on the Mountaineers’ roster but did not record any kicking statistics.
- How arrived in Oxford: Began his college career at Kentucky in 2023 before transferring to Appalachian State for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He then transferred to Ole Miss.
Ole Miss Long Snappers
#44 Caleb Blankenship, So.
- H/W: 6-foot-2, 240 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Served as Ole Miss’ primary long snapper.
- How arrived in Oxford: Joined Ole Miss as a non-scholarship player before the beginning of the Rebels’ 2024 fall camp.
#83 Sean Judge, So.
- H/W: 6-foot-4, 235 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Ole Miss): Did not record any statistics.
- How arrived in Oxford: Joined Ole Miss as a non-scholarship player before the beginning of the Rebels’ 2024 fall camp.
#93 Richie Bruder, Fr.
- H/W: 6-foot-1, 210 lbs.
- 2025 Stats (Episcopal Academy): Played long snapper for Episcopal Academy.
