Jacob Medina and Will Duncan Embrace the Mental Challenge of Being a Specialist
9/3/2026 8:39:00 AM | Football
By Tanner Evans
Being a specialist is a losing proposition.
It's an aspect of the game that no one likes to talk about until something goes wrong, and when it does, everyone suddenly assumes it's the easiest job on the field.
And according to junior place kicker Jacob Medina, that's exactly where everyone gets it wrong.
"I will always stand on this hill and defend that specialists have one of the hardest mental challenges in all of sports," Medina said. "You're off the field 99 percent of the time, and when you have to come in for that one percent, you only have one opportunity to get it right. Quarterbacks get 30 passes a game to make up for any mistakes they made on throw one or two, but sometimes we only get one opportunity."
Battling that mental challenge is part of what makes being a specialist so difficult, and it's something that Medina has worked on throughout his career.
"Over time, you understand that you have to trust your mechanics, trust your capabilities, and you can't change anything up in the moment," Medina said. "You just have to go with everything you've learned. You can't play down to the moment; you just have to play up to your capabilities."
Playing to the peak of your capabilities is certainly easier said than done, but unwavering confidence is needed to do so.
"I believe that I could go one on one against anyone in the country to prove myself," Medina said. "So just continuing to build that confidence and understanding that I'd put myself up against anybody and I'd put my guys up against anybody."
That confidence is something Medina believes in not only for himself, but also for his teammates who share the same pressure. One of Medina's "guys" is junior punter Will Duncan, who has developed his own approach to handling the mental side of the position.
"I think at the end of the day you just have to have a sound mental foundation," Duncan said. "You can't listen to the outside noise. You have trusted sources that you have to listen to in terms of technique, form, and stuff you can work on. But outside of that, you start tuning out the noise as good as you can and just try to get one percent better every day."
For Duncan, tuning out that noise starts with doing the job in front of him, a job he views as much more than simply kicking the ball.
"My entire job as a punter is to win the field position battle for our defense," Duncan said. "If the other team is starting inside the 10-yard line every single drive, they're not going to put as many points on the board. So, at the end of the day, I'm more of a defensive player than a specialist."
That responsibility gives Duncan a clear goal each time he steps on the field.
"I just want to be someone who can be reliable day in and day out."
Being a specialist is a losing proposition.
It's an aspect of the game that no one likes to talk about until something goes wrong, and when it does, everyone suddenly assumes it's the easiest job on the field.
And according to junior place kicker Jacob Medina, that's exactly where everyone gets it wrong.
"I will always stand on this hill and defend that specialists have one of the hardest mental challenges in all of sports," Medina said. "You're off the field 99 percent of the time, and when you have to come in for that one percent, you only have one opportunity to get it right. Quarterbacks get 30 passes a game to make up for any mistakes they made on throw one or two, but sometimes we only get one opportunity."
Battling that mental challenge is part of what makes being a specialist so difficult, and it's something that Medina has worked on throughout his career.
"Over time, you understand that you have to trust your mechanics, trust your capabilities, and you can't change anything up in the moment," Medina said. "You just have to go with everything you've learned. You can't play down to the moment; you just have to play up to your capabilities."
Playing to the peak of your capabilities is certainly easier said than done, but unwavering confidence is needed to do so.
"I believe that I could go one on one against anyone in the country to prove myself," Medina said. "So just continuing to build that confidence and understanding that I'd put myself up against anybody and I'd put my guys up against anybody."
That confidence is something Medina believes in not only for himself, but also for his teammates who share the same pressure. One of Medina's "guys" is junior punter Will Duncan, who has developed his own approach to handling the mental side of the position.
"I think at the end of the day you just have to have a sound mental foundation," Duncan said. "You can't listen to the outside noise. You have trusted sources that you have to listen to in terms of technique, form, and stuff you can work on. But outside of that, you start tuning out the noise as good as you can and just try to get one percent better every day."
For Duncan, tuning out that noise starts with doing the job in front of him, a job he views as much more than simply kicking the ball.
"My entire job as a punter is to win the field position battle for our defense," Duncan said. "If the other team is starting inside the 10-yard line every single drive, they're not going to put as many points on the board. So, at the end of the day, I'm more of a defensive player than a specialist."
That responsibility gives Duncan a clear goal each time he steps on the field.
"I just want to be someone who can be reliable day in and day out."
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