Kickoff Specialist (KOS)

A kickoff specialist (KOS) is a seldom-used position in gridiron football. Kickoff specialists are members of the special teams. They are responsible for kicking the ball in the kickoff. These players tend to have a strong leg, often capable of making touchbacks, and capable of keeping a ball in the bounds of the field of play but do not have the accuracy or technique required to be a full-time placekicker or punter. Some kickoff specialists later become full-time placekickers, while some are marginal placekickers who are soon out of football.

American football Kicking - Stories Preschool

Due to modern roster restrictions, most NFL teams do not elect to have a kickoff specialist, and instead use their placekickers (or, less often, punters) on kickoffs. The only current NFL kickoff specialist is Jordan Gay of the Buffalo Bills. Prior to Gay's being claimed off of waivers, Buffalo's kickoff duties were handled by Billy Cundiff and John Potter. Other players who have spent at least some time as kickoff specialist for an NFL team since 2006 include Steven Hauschka, Rhys Lloyd, David Buehler, and Todd Carter. As of the end of the 2014 NFL season, punters Thomas Morstead, Matt Bosher, Sam Martin, Pat McAfee, and Michael Koenen handle kickoffs.There is at least one example of a backup quarterback serving as a kickoff specialist; in 1965, Bob Timberlake did so for the New York Giants. In high school football and most other professional leagues, such as the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League, one kicker handles all three kicking positions. Even college football teams usually do not use kickoff specialists, despite the much larger rosters at that level; however, if an underclassman has a stronger leg than the upperclassman kicker, but is not yet ready to assume placekicker or punter duties, they will handle kickoff a while being the primary backup to the other positions, much like Gay does for the Bills.

SPORTS

American Football

Game play in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts, or field goal attempts (from either a place kick or a drop kick) – or free kicks such as kickoffs and fair catch kicks. Substitutions can be made between downs, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have no more than 11 players on the field, and each of them has specific tasks assigned for that specific play.