So, I try not to highlight individual players too much during this countdown. Frankly it feels a little tacky and easy to do it, which has also led to a few of these articles being off topic or only loosely related to the number.

BUT today I can highlight an unsung hero, a man who almost no one talks about, Reese Burkhardt.

Reese is a kickoff specialist, and that might be the least sexy job of all time. His job is to kick ball far, put it out the back of the endzone or otherwise force a touchback. And Reese was one of the best at it. He smashed 40 of his 64 kickoffs on the season for touchbacks, and averaged 68.1 yards per kickoff (PFF) which ranked 19th in the FBS. He graded out by PFF as the 3rd rated specialist in the Big 12.

Look, touchbacks are not sexy. But giving up a big return, or a runback, is backbreaking. So the man most responsible for denying the possibility deserves some love. Don’t worry Reese, I see you.