The Wayne State University football team is preparing for the 2025 season with several changes to its special teams unit. Ahmed Saleh, the new special teams coordinator, will oversee competition for each role after last year’s top two kickers graduated and the long snapper transferred.
Returning players include redshirt junior Avery Burch, who played in seven games last season. Burch averaged 44 yards per punt, recorded two punts over 50 yards, and placed four punts inside the 20-yard line. He made his debut with a 54-yard punt against Indianapolis and had notable performances throughout the season.
Redshirt sophomore Griffin Nowak and redshirt freshman Anthony Markovski are candidates to make their first collegiate appearances this year.
Wayne State added two new kickers: Albany transfer Dove Eitzen and freshman George Sanchez-Murillo. Eitzen was recognized as First Team All-Lenawee County Athletic Association (LCAA) and was part of the LCAA All-Academic Team in high school. He also earned MHSFCA Division 7 All-Region honors as a specialist. Sanchez-Murillo received recognition from both the Detroit News Dream Team and Detroit Free Press All-Detroit First Team. In his senior year, he averaged 40 yards per punt with 11 inside the 20-yard line and had 24 touchbacks on 38 kickoffs.
Freshman Zaiden Hall joins as long snapper after contributing to Goodrich High School’s state championship run in Michigan’s Division 4. His backups are freshmen Liam Distelzweig and Zion Lancaster.
Holder duties will be handled by newcomer Dove Eitzen, with Kristian Kilpatrick serving as backup. Angel Carrillo is expected to take on both punt return and kickoff return responsibilities, while graduate transfer D’Vaun Bentley is also set for kickoff returns.
Wayne State concludes its second week of fall practice this Saturday. The team’s home opener is scheduled for Thursday, September 4 at 6 p.m., when they face the Tiffin Dragons. Season and single-game tickets are available online, and supporters can join the W-Club through the official athletics website.
“###
