The Sniper Mentality: Building Elite Special Teams With Coach Tony Coaxum

At The Citadel, special teams are the foundation of a winning culture, not an afterthought. Coach Tony Coaxum, the special teams coordinator and associate head coach, brings a disciplined, military-inspired pursuit of excellence to the game. During his Skills & Drills presentation at the 2026 AFCA Convention, Coach Coaxum demonstrated his punt coverage and punt block fundamentals and outlined a philosophy in which every player is expected to be elite, emphasizing relentless effort, violent execution, and precise fundamentals. 
 
During his presentation, Coach Coaxum breaks down his overarching goals for the punt phases and the specific drills he uses to build game-changing special teams units. 
 
Specifically, Coach Coaxum refers to the punt team as the “Pride” phase, recognizing it as the play that covers the most distance and is often the easiest way to lose a football game. To reflect this elite standard, he refers to his gunners as “Snipers” rather than standard gunners. Coach presents a set of drills for the Sniper group to help create elite field position from the punt coverage team. 
 
The primary objective of The Citadel’s punt coverage team is to force the returner into a tight 5×5 box near the sideline. Coaxum stresses the importance of directional punting, noting that kicking the ball to the middle of the field is considered “high treason” because it puts the coverage unit in a terrible situation. The Snipers want to take their shots to make the tackle while also forcing the returner stay confined to the 5×5 box. 
 
Drill Breakdown: The Sniper vs. Jammer Drill 

This drill and its variants simulate the top of the play when the sniper is working down the field against a punt return player (the jammer) to make the tackle. 

• The Steel Rod Position: The sniper must maintain a “steel rod” position by keeping their arms extended while battling the jammer. The jammer is working to keep the sniper from the returner. 
• Cutting off the Field: The sniper’s job is to cut off the wide side of the field and keep the returner pinned to the short side. 
• Violent Throw-Bys: Once the sniper is close to the returner, they must violently dispose of the jammer. If the jammer is ahead of the sniper, the sniper physically throws them across their body. If the jammer is even or slightly behind, the sniper fights pressure with pressure and violently throws the jammer behind them to finish on the ball. 
• The “Shoot and Run” Technique: If a jammer uses poor blocking mechanics and gets into a “fit and sit” position too close to their own returner, the sniper executes a “shoot and run.” The sniper drops their hips and legally pushes the jammer directly into the punt returner, a highly encouraged move that creates chaos 

Coach Coaxum attributes his unit’s elite performance to a foundational belief in fundamentals and the unwavering support of a head coach who values special teams. Whether installing the “crawl, walk, run” progression during fall camp or revisiting basic mechanics during bye weeks, the focus remains entirely on fundamental execution so that the “next man up” is always ready to perform.