Arizona enters the 2025 season with uncertainty on special teams. Michael Salgado-Medina returns after an average season as the Arizona punter in 2024. Arizona has three kickers and three punters on the roster entering the 2025 season.
Freshman Tyler Prasuhn and Salgado-Medina are both listed as kicker/punters. Illinois State transfer kicker Ian Wagner and Australian punter Isaac Lovison joined Arizona during the offseason. Salgado-Medina could be the kicker and punter for Arizona in the August 30 season opener versus Hawaii.
Salgado-Medina finished eighth in the Big XII out of 17 eligible punters, averaging 43.3 yards per punt in 2024. Although he did not attempt a field goal as a freshman in 2024, Salgado-Medina made 15 of 21 field goals with a long of 52 and connected 64 of 70 extra points as a senior in high school in 2023.
In three seasons at Illinois State, Wagner made 25 field goals in 36 attempts with a long of 47 yards and six that were blocked. Wagner's hometown is Sierra Vista, but he played high school in O'Fallon, Illinois, which is a suburb of St. Louis.
Prasuhn made 18 field goals in 2 attempts with a long of 42 and averaged 60.4 yards on kickoff during his high school career in Carlsbad, California. Prasuhn also averaged 36.0 yards on 27 punts in his last two seasons of high school.
Lovison is the latest punter to come to the United States for college out of the ProKick Australia program, which has developed several punters thriving in the NFL. Lovison has experience playing Australian Rules Football. Arizona adds depth with Lovison.
Jeremiah Patterson returns for Arizona after averaging 22.1 yards per kickoff return and with 14 punt returns for 78 yards in 2024. Arizona head coach Brent Brennan and new special teams coordinator Craig Naivar are likely to provide opportunities for several specialists in the first two 2025 games versus Hawaii and Weber State.