KU football’s special teams will look different after these transfer pickups
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- KU adds kicker Martin Connington, punter Matthew Gill, long snapper Rino Monteforte.
- Connington enters competition with Dane Efird and retains three years of eligibility.
- Gill offers four seasons of eligibility to replace graduated starter Finn Lappin.
Kansas football has added a number of special teams players in recent days.
KU picked up commitments from former Michigan State kicker Martin Connington, Australian punter Matthew Gill and Cal long snapper Rino Monteforte.
All three players announced their commitments Friday.
Perhaps the biggest pickup of the group is Connington. He has three years of eligibility remaining. With the departure of Laith Marjan, Connington will compete with Dane Efird for the starting kicker job.
Connington had an average season at Michigan State in 2025. He went 12-for-16 (75%) on field goals, with a long of 50 yards. He went 27-of-28 on extra points.
Gill is the third Australian punter the Jayhawks have landed in recent years. He will compete with walk-on punter Ben Shipley for the starting job after losing starter Finn Lappin.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound punter will have four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Finally, Monteforte, the long snapper, has one season of eligibility remaining. He spent his last season at Cal, after starting his career with Notre Dame. The 5-foot-7, 210-pound long snapper was with the Fighting Irish for three seasons.
This story was originally published January 10, 2026 at 11:24 AM with the headline "KU football’s special teams will look different after these transfer pickups."
