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<p><strong>SPARTANBURG | </strong>The specialists went to the practice field, just up the hill from Viking Stadium away from the action of the skill guys on offense and defense during Sunday's Carolinas Coaches Combine at Spartanburg. But coach Eugene Benton had plenty of talent to work with, as many of the specialists were able to add to their toolbox and a few were able to add to what is already a strong resume, which should bode well for their respective teams heading into 2026.</p>
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<p>From the Midlands, Upstate, Lowcountry and Catawba River Region, here's a look at all 15 specialists who were in attendance:</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824470' first='Alex' last='Bendt']</strong> | Northwestern</p>
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<p>Bendt hit 77% of his field goals in 2025, finishing 14-of-18 on field goals, going 4 for 4 on field goals of 30 to 39 yards away and 2 of 2 on field goals of 40 to 49 yards away, with the longest being a 41 yarder. He surpassed that on Sunday, hitting a field goal from 48 yards away, showcasing a strong leg. He also had 25 kickoffs go into the end zone last year during the Trojans' run to the state title, and was on display again on Sunday, where he had two kicks go 58 and 63 yards.</p>
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<p><strong>Max Cantrell </strong>| Chesnee</p>
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<p>Cantrell was consistent throughout the session on Sunday, hitting punts to his left for 39 and 36 yards, while when he punted to his right, it ended up with punts of 34 and 40 yards. The same can be said on field goals, as he connected from 30, 35 and 40 yards out.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818204' first='James' last='Heckard'] </strong>| Rock Hill</p>
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<p>Heckard was 12-of-14 on field goals in 2025 for the Bearcats, with the longest being a 46-yard field goal. He not only hit on attempts of 30, 35, 40 and 45 yards, but he exceeded his season high, hitting on a 48-yard field goal during Sunday's combine. The rising senior was notably strong when punting off to his right, with kicks of 51 and 47 yards. One punt to his left traveled 45 yards. Heckard had 17 kickoffs go into the end zone last year, with multiple games where no one attempted to take it out deep. We had more evidence of this on Sunday, with kickoffs of 55 and 70 yards.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820447' first='Noah' last='Hardy'] </strong>| Fort Mill</p>
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<p>Hardy had an exemplary 2025 campaign for the Yellow Jackets, where he connected on 13 field goals. Sunday was another showcase to add to the resume, as he hit on the longest kick that kickers coach Eugene Benton has them attempt per the scoring sheet, a 55-yard field goal. The others you may ask? He hit it out of the park on all six of them – from 30, 35, 40, 45, 48 and 52 yards out. Hardy had 41 touchbacks in 2025, and it's easy to see why now after Sunday – he had two kickoffs of 61 and 69 yards.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824638' first='Ryan' last='Raylyan'] </strong>| Chapman</p>
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<p>Not many returners were able to get any kickoff return yardage when Raylan was kicking off in 2025. He had plenty of deep kickoffs, and that was on display on Sunday. He had kickoffs of 62 and 55 yards. He was solid on field goals, hitting on kicks of 30, 40, and 48 yards out.</p>
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<p><strong>Nathan Beaver </strong>| Summerville</p>
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<p>Beaver was on point with his kicks in 2025, connecting on 4-of-6 field goals with a long distance of 45 yards. He can boom it out of the end zone as he had kicks of 61 and 63 yards. And he even had an onside kick that was recovered by the Green Wave. All of this was showcased on the practice field at Spartanburg, as he connected on field goals of 30, 35, 40, 48 and 52 yards out. His kickoffs went for 62 and 67 yards during the session as well.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1149041' first='Beckham' last='Diimmler'] </strong>| Chapin</p>
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<p>Diimmler is another one who can boot it out of the end zone as he had two kickoffs of 59 yards during Sunday's combine. He was also solid on field goals during the session, connecting on kicks of 30, 35, 40, 45 and 48 yards.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1791034' first='Josh' last='Daniel'] </strong>| Wren</p>
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<p>Daniel was superb on kickoffs with distances of 59 and 58 yards on Sunday. He also connected on field goals of 30, 35 and 45 yards. </p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1772774' first='Warner' last='Wright'] </strong>| Emerald</p>
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<p>Wright had a solid day at the combine, with kickoffs of 66 and 63 yards, while connecting on field goals of 30, 35, 40 and 45 yards.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821858' first='Bradley' last='Crowell'] </strong>| Woodmont</p>
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<p>Crowell had an average during one game during the 2025 season of kickoffs of 65 yards for the Wolverines. There was more evidence of that on Sunday as he boomed it out of the end zone with kicks of 61 and 63 yards. He was also solid on field goals, hitting from 30, 35, 40, 45 and 48 yards away.</p>
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<p><strong>Gunnar Wells </strong>| Chester</p>
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<p>Wells made solid work of his reps during the combine. He had kickoffs of 55 and 56 yards, while connecting on field goals from 35, 40, 45 and 48 yards out.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467817' first='Liam' last='Flynn']</strong> | River Bluff</p>
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<p>Flynn (pictured above) is one of the top kickers in our rankings, and Sunday was further evidence of that. He hit on 95% of his requested touchbacks in 2025 with a peak distance of 78 yards. He was 8-of-9 on field goals with the longest being 47 yards. He hit on all of his field goals during Sunday's combine, with the longest being from 55 yards out. His strong leg was on display for punts, with distances of 43 and 38 yards. And his kickoffs? 73 and 80, yes, 80 yards.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816501' first='Xan' last='Wofford'] </strong>| Northwestern</p>
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<p>Wofford had a solid outing at Spartanburg on Sunday, hitting on field goals from 30, 35, 40 and 45 yards away. He boomed kickoffs out of the end zone with traveling distances of 53 and 52 yards, respectively. He was also strong in the punting game, particularly to the left with 40 and 36 yard punts.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822994' first='Gerardo' last='Segura'] </strong>| Gaffney</p>
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<p>Segura had a strong showing on Sunday, first on kickoffs with kicks of 55 and 71 yards. On field goals, he connected on kicks of 30, 35, 40, 48 and 55 yards away.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824686' first='Brantley' last='Sexton'] </strong>| Chesterfield</p>
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<p>Sexton was another guy who made the most of his opportunities on Sunday. He connected on field goals of 30, 35, 40 and 45 yards. He showcased a strong leg on kickoffs – one went 48 and 53 yards.</p>
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SPARTANBURG | The specialists went to the practice field, just up the hill from Viking Stadium away from the action of the skill guys on offense and defense during Sunday's Carolinas Coaches Combine at Spartanburg. But coach Eugene Benton had plenty of talent to work with, as many of the specialists were able to add to their toolbox and a few were able to add to what is already a strong resume, which should bode well for their respective teams heading into 2026.
From the Midlands, Upstate, Lowcountry and Catawba River Region, here's a look at all 15 specialists who were in attendance: [player_tooltip player_id='1824470' first='Alex' last='Bendt'] | Northwestern Bendt hit 77% of his field goals in 2025, finishing 14-of-18 on field goals, going 4 for 4 on field goals of 30 to 39 yards away and 2 of 2 on field goals of 40 to 49 yards away, with the longest being a 41 yarder. He surpassed that on Sunday, hitting a field goal from 48 yards away, showcasing a strong leg. He also had 25 kickoffs go into the end zone last year during the Trojans' run to the state title, and was on display again on Sunday, where he had two kicks go 58 and 63 yards. Max Cantrell |…
