Kickers, punters and long snappers generally get little respect in college and professional football.
Fans don’t realize how valuable they are until they mess up.
That’s why a couple of BYU’s most unsung players from the Cougars’ 12-2 season in 2025 — kicker Will Ferrin and long snapper Garrison Grimes — most likely won’t be taken in the 2026 NFL draft. The seven-round draft began Thursday and runs through Saturday.
After the seventh round concludes, the real madness begins, according to agents who represent players who will be first-round picks to guys who are just hoping to get a mini-camp invitation.
That’s where Ferrin and Grimes come in. Both seniors are hoping to land priority free agent contracts after the draft.
Who is BYU kicker Will Ferrin?
Ferrin, a Boise State transfer who grew up in Kaysville, Utah, actually had a better season in 2024, when he was a Lou Groza Award finalist and booted the winning field goal against Utah, than in 2025. That downturn has probably hurt his NFL opportunities, frankly.
Not that 2025 was subpar for Ferrin. He finished his career with a BYU-record 120 consecutive made PATs and set the school record for consecutive made field goals, with 25. He tied the school record with a 56-yard field goal in the opener against Portland State.
Ferrin was 23 for 30 on his field goals in 2025, after going 24 for 27 in 2024. He was 11 of 14 in 2023.
“Will Ferrin is one of my all-time favorites, a guy that was never too high, never too low, and very business-like,” said new BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga, the Cougars’ special teams coordinator the past three seasons.
“Will will go down as one of the legendary players in BYU history. I know for a fact that he can go on to the NFL and have an amazing career and be successful.”
— BYU defensive coordinator and former special teams coach Kelly Poppinga on Will Ferrin
“He had the perfect mannerisms and characteristics that a kicker needs. He’s never going to get caught up in himself, especially with all the success he had here,” Poppinga continued. “Will will go down as one of the legendary players in BYU history. I know for a fact that he can go on to the NFL and have an amazing career and be successful.”
Is there NFL interest in Ferrin? Certainly, there was a few months ago. Ferrin is fifth among specialists on Mel Kiper’s Big Board for the NFL draft; Michigan’s Dominic Zvada and Florida’s Trey Smack are the only kickers above Ferrin on Kiper’s list.
Ferrin was the first kicker outside of a “draftable” grade on The Athletic’s “The Beast” — a ranking of all NFL prospects authored by Dane Brugler.
Athleticism makes Garrison Grimes an NFL prospect
A lot of BYU fans have probably never heard of Garrison Grimes, but the long snapper who transferred to BYU for his senior season after three seasons at Baylor quite likely will get an opportunity to show what he can do in an NFL camp next month.
Grimes was named Second Team All-America by the AFCA after snapping the football flawlessly for BYU last season. He is the son of former BYU offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, who is now at Wisconsin.
Garrison Grimes is the first long snapper in BYU history to earn All-America recognition after making 114 perfect snaps in 2025. What makes him special? It’s simple — athleticism.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder from American Fork was a standout receiver and lacrosse player in high school, before following his father to Baylor.
He is the No. 1 long snapper prospect in the draft, having received a perfect score of 10.00 from the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) ratings. It was the highest rating for a long snapper out of 244 ratings from 1987 to 2026.
“Garrison Grimes is one of the best snappers, if not the best snapper, I’ve had over my 18-year career,” Poppinga said. “The combination of his speed, his athleticism, his strength, his size and just his technique and fundamentals as a snapper is the best I’ve seen as a combination of all that. That’s why the pros are after this guy.”
