Amid March Madness, the Arizona football program kicks off its preparation for the 2026 season and the third season under head coach Brent Brennan.
The Wildcats kick off their spring practice schedule on Tuesday and will cap their month-long practice period with the program's spring showcase on Saturday, April 25, at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
Leading up to spring ball, the Star is providing a position-by-position preview of Arizona football. Last but certainly not least: special teams.
Position coach: Craig Naivar (special teams coordinator)
Key departures: Kickoff specialist Ian Wagner, punter Isaac Lovison, long snapper Avery Salerno, punt returner Luke Wysong, returners Ismail Mahdi and Javin Whatley, kicker Tyler Prasuhn
Key returners: Kicker Michael Salgado-Medina (Jr.), long snapper Broden Molen (R-Fr.), returner Quincy Craig (R-Sr.)
Newcomers: Punter Carter Schwartz (Jr.), long snapper Drew Nicolson (R-Jr.), punter Chase Ridley (Fr.)
The rundown: It was an up-and-down campaign for Arizona's special teams unit in Naivar's debut last season.
Salgado-Medina — nicknamed "Money Mike" by Brennan — finished 19 for 31 at kicking field goals, the most misses in a season for the UA since 1999, albeit snapping inconsistencies factored into some of those misses.
Salgado-Medina was 5 for 12 at field goals between 40-49 yards, but displayed leg strength with a 57-yarder against Oklahoma State and a crucial 51-yarder against Cincinnati.
Lovison was ninth in the Big 12 in punting average (42.6) during his lone season in Tucson. Wysong, who took over punt return duties midway through the season, had the third-best return average (10.3 yards) in the Big 12.
Arizona kicker Michael Salgado-Medina (19) celebrates with teammate Chase Kennedy (7) after kicking a field goal during the second half against Cincinnati, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Cincinnati.
Wagner had 68 touchbacks in 78 attempts — an 87% clip. He accumulated 5,069 kickoff yards in his only season with the Wildcats.
Salgado-Medina is the lone returner in the kicker-punter-snapper corps.
The first addition to Arizona's special teams group — and the first player in Arizona's 2026 transfer portal class — is Nicolson.
Nicolson joins Arizona after playing the last two seasons at Arkansas State. He started his college career in 2023 at Akron. The 5-11, 233-pound Tempe native appeared in all 12 games at Akron and transferred to Arkansas State in 2024.
Nicolson redshirted his first season with the Red Wolves and became the starting long snapper this past season. Last year, Arkansas State went 7-6 and beat Missouri State, 34-28, in the Xbox Bowl in Frisco, Texas. Nicolson and Molen, a former Navy All-American and Montana native, will be Arizona's long snappers for 2026.
The Wildcats also tapped into the Australia pipeline to replace Lovison.
Ridley, who hails from Perth, Australia, is the latest Aussie to play at the UA. The 6-3, 238-pound Australian initially signed to play for former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia, but was granted release from WVU and signed with the Wildcats. He will start his Arizona career as a true freshman.
Ridley joins Arizona via the ProKick Australia program that has produced several NFL punters, including Mitch Wishnowsky, Michael Dickson, Cameron Johnston and Lou Hedley, among others. Lovison, who was one of the first additions since the hiring of Naivar last year, was also a part of the ProKick Australia program as an Aussie rules football player.
Arizona added former Washington State punter and kicker Ryan Harris, but the former Cougar was unable to get a waiver to play for the Wildcats in 2026 and is out of eligibility. Harris was replaced by Schwartz, a 6-3, 232-pound Louisville transfer.
Arizona's Michael Salgado-Medina (19) celebrates with supporters following a game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Cincinnati.
The Louisville, Kentucky, native signed with the hometown Cardinals in 2024. Schwartz averaged 41.1 yards per punt in his two-year career at Louisville. His career-long punt is 61 yards, and he landed 11 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Arizona also added freshman kicker Ian French to its roster, but the Austin, Texas-area native isn't joining the team until the summer. The 6-foot, 180-pound French is rated by KohlsKicking.com as a 4.5-star prospect.
In the last two seasons at Dripping Springs High School, French made 12 of 15 field goals and had a career-long 51-yard field goal in 2025. He was also 77 for 79 on PATs. In 94 kickoff attempts in 2025, French had 66 touchbacks and averaged 64.7 yards per kick.
Arizona has four total newcomers in its special teams unit. The Wildcats are replacing five starters at punter, kickoff, long snapper and both kickoff and punt return duties in Naivar's second season.
