Liberty football has just finished up spring practice as the Flames went through 15 practices over the course of several weeks. With only one transfer portal window which closed following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Liberty knows its roster it will have for the upcoming 2026 season. We are going through a series where we break down each position on the roster. We conclude this series today with a look at the specialists.
Previous:
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Offensive line
Tight ends
Wide receivers
Linebackers
Defensive Line
Corners
Safeties
Specialists
Kicker
42 Chase Reeves, 6’2″, 190 lb (McKendree)
98 Tyler Black, 5’9″, 190 lb
Brayden Beck
Punter
42 Chase Reeves, 6’2″, 190 lb (McKendree)
49 Sam Crossan, 6’3″, 260 lb
Long snapper
41 Greg Rivera, 6’1″, 225 lb (Grambling State)
45 Cayden Comer, 6’2″, 220 lb
Liberty will have to find a new kicker, punter, and long snapper after Jay Billingsley, Max Morgan, and Ryan Manis (Louisville) all departed following the 2025 season. After a heated competition during fall camp, Billingsley won the kicking duties and ended up having a solid season, making 15 of his 20 kicks while Morgan and Manis were both dependable in their roles.
This season, Liberty will look first to former Wake Forest transfer Tyler Black and incoming transfer Chase Reeves to nail down its kicker spot. Black joined Liberty from Wake Forest a year ago and handled kickoff duties at times for the Demon Deacons. He fought with Billingsley and Brayden Beck last summer to earn the starting job before ultimately ending third in that battle, a contest that special teams coordinator Dylan Lewellyn said was very close. Chase Reeves was also brought in from McKendree University where he handled kicking and punting duties.
Following the conclusion of spring practice, head coach Jamey Chadwell said that Brayden Beck has been approved for an extra year of eligibility and will be added to the room this summer. Beck was in the mix of the competition at kicker last training camp before losing it to Jay Billingsley right at the end of the preseason. During his time at Liberty, Beck has made 5 field goals and 37 extra points while also handling 11 kickoffs. He is 5 of 7 on his field goals with a long of 43.
It does appear that Sam Crossan has emerged and will likely take over the punting duties. He is a redshirt-sophomore who has been with the program the past few seasons but has not seen any playing time. Meanwhile, at long snapper, Greg Rivera and Cayden Comer are fighting for the starting spot. Rivera is a transfer from Grambling State while Comer is a returning redshirt-freshman for the Flames.
