With Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp now complete, one of the biggest behind-the-scenes storylines was the amount of work handled by special teams coordinator Kent Maugeri.
While most of the focus during camp centred on roster battles at quarterback and along the offensive and defensive lines, Maugeri quietly oversaw evaluations at three specialized positions: long snapper, punter and kicker. Along the way, he also had to help new players adjust to the Canadian game and the unique challenges presented by Mosaic Stadium.
“It’s been a challenge for sure,” Maugeri said during camp. “It’s the football gods saying all three at once. Just showing them where the weight room is and the building and all that stuff, let alone we chart every snap, every kick, every punt.”
Now that camp has wrapped up and decisions have been made, Maugeri and the Roughriders hope the work completed over the last several weeks will help maintain the standard Saskatchewan’s special teams unit has established in recent seasons.
Under Maugeri, the Roughriders have developed into one of the CFL’s premier special teams groups. In 2025, Saskatchewan became the only team in the league not to allow a return touchdown while winning the Grey Cup. Recently-departed kicker Brett Lauther posted a 201-point season in 2024 while then-returner Mario Alford remained one of the CFL’s most dangerous returners.
But replacing veteran long snapper Jorgen Hus, who retired earlier this year, represented one of the most difficult tasks of camp.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Maugeri admitted. “He set the high standard, and to snap for 10 years or whatever it is and no bad snaps, he’s just elite. It’s been a high bar. It’s not really attainable right now, but we’re going to chase it every day.”
Maugeri explained that evaluating long snappers goes far beyond simply delivering the football to the holder.
“For field goals, placement is key,” he said. “Location, velocity and laces. These guys are so good now that the holders just have to catch it in the same spot and hopefully have laces.”
The details can become incredibly precise.
“If it’s a quarter turn off or a 16th off, we tell them. These guys adjust how they grip the ball, how they throw it back, and their follow-through. If it’s raining, cold, or snowing, they adjust their grip. It truly is an art form.”
The evaluation process extended to punters and kickers as well, especially with windy conditions consistently impacting practices at Mosaic Stadium throughout the final week of camp.
“You have to have a good feel,” Maugeri said of evaluating punters. “Can you sense the rush? Is it held up by the return team? How do we play the wind? What kind of drop do I need because of the wind?”
Maugeri added that punters must also be capable of executing several different styles of kicks depending on field position and game situation.
“When we’re backed up, open field or going-in punts, you’ve got to have multiple shots in the bag. These guys do. It’s been really fun working with them.”
For kickers, learning how to manage Saskatchewan wind patterns became one of the most important lessons of camp.
“These guys are just trying to find, alright, it’s left-to-right today. What am I looking at? What am I aiming at?” Maugeri explained. “Maybe it’s 30 yards going this way and maybe 50 yards going the other way because it was ripping today.”
So how does he coach kicking in the wind?
“Reps,” Maugeri said with a laugh. “There are certain times when you may want to drive it so it doesn’t move on you. Other times, you can hit your best ball and let the wind help you a little bit.”
Maugeri also noted that even the CFL football itself creates an adjustment period for American specialists entering the Canadian game.
“It’s a different size ball, so everything is different,” he said. “You get some of these U.S. punters who come up, and normally they turn it over, and maybe it’s a 4.7 hang time. Up here, sometimes that thing drops straight down.”
With training camp complete and the preseason now behind them, the Roughriders hope the extensive evaluations and adjustments made throughout camp will translate into another strong season for one of the CFL’s top special teams units.
