Patrick Durkin follows through on a kick during spring practice. (Photo: Anthony Garro/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Tulane Tandem Offers Familiarity, Success to UF Special Teams
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The question is not a common one for guests on "Pod Up with Matthews in the Morning," the weekday podcast hosted by former UF quarterback Shane Matthews.
But on Monday morning, a viewer asked how Florida's new kicker and punter have looked during spring camp. The specialists typically toil away from the spotlight, but first-year Gators head coach Jon Sumrall places a premium on special teams. The Gators open each practice with special-teams drills, and Sumrall is heavily involved.
For the 2026 Gators, the kicker and punter are familiar faces to Sumrall and to special teams coach Johnathan Galante. Kicker Patrick Durkin and punter Alec Clark transferred to Florida from Tulane, providing a strong foundation to the unit.
And both arrived with sturdy credentials.
Durkin was the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Special Teams Player of the Year a season ago, and Clark earned first-team all-conference accolades. Durkin replaces Trey Smack, who made 82.8% (54 of 63) of his career kicks and booted a school-record 10 field goals from 50 yards or more.
A former walk-on at Tulane, Durkin earned a scholarship after the 2024 season and connected on 25 of 28 field goals a season ago, including a pair of 52-yarders. He made 41 of 42 extra points and went 4 of 6 from 50-plus yards. Gators punter Alec Clark is an Australian who transferred from Tulane. (Photo: Ethan Roy/UAA Communications)
A Chicago native, Durkin missed a 35-yard field goal in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl against the Gators due to operational issues. When Galante took over special teams at Tulane last season, he quickly discovered Durkin was a talented kicker. Durkin won a kicking battle in camp against freshman Cooper Helmke, a talented local prospect who grew up in Metairie, La.
"He's elite,'' Galante said. "He's as good as any of them. There's been some great ones here. He's got that level of talent and ability. His leg speed's elite. He's a very confident kid. He'll remind you all the time. Some of that is great, though. You want your kickers and punters and those guys to believe that they can do it."
Meanwhile, Galante was very familiar with Clark before their season together at Tulane in 2025. An Australian native who signed with Marshall out of the Howard Scholar Academy in Atlanta, Clark spent two seasons with the program while Galante served as the Thundering Herd's special teams coach. When Galante went to Southern Miss in the spring of 2025, Clark followed him. And when Galante took the Tulane job later that year, Clark came along.
Ditto that when Sumrall called Galante to join him at UF.
Clark averaged 46.5 yards per punt last season, second in single-season program history at Tulane, and landed 16 inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He also served as the holder for Durkin.
"I'm just going out there with a freedom that Galante and Sumrall give me," Clark told Nola.com last season. "They give me free rein. That's changed my mindset. Instead of having a little bit of doubt walking out there, I'm already thinking I'm going to help the team."
The Gators appear positioned to continue their strong run of specialists in recent years, a group that includes kickers Caleb Sturgis (2008-12), Eddy Pineiro (2016-17), Evan McPherson (2018-20) and Smack (2022-25), and punters Kyle Christy (2011-14), Johnny Townsend (2013-17), Tommy Townsend (2016-19) and Jeremy Crawshaw (2020-24).
Galante knows the expectations are high for the Tulane transfers.
"This place has a history of tradition for winning, but when it comes down to special teams here, there's so many great players that have played here," Galante said. "There's a history and tradition for great specialists."
