Consistency has always been a key part of the game for Colorado’s Alejandro Mata.

As he comes into his senior year, he’s feeling better than ever before.

“I feel like I’ve grown because not only have I been more consistent in my game, I feel like I’m more focused and aware of my surroundings,” Mata told BuffZone last week.

Leading up to preseason camp, BuffZone.com will preview each position group for the CU football team and in this first installment, we look at the special teams.

On track to be the most accurate place kicker in CU history, Mata is the leader of what could be the best special teams unit the Buffs have had under head coach Deion Sanders.

Mata is an impressive 22-of-27 on field goals in his two seasons at CU, but there is a lot of talent in the room to compete with him and to solidify the kicking game.

In Sanders’ first two seasons on the job, CU struggled mightily to put the kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks, but that should be much improved.

Last year, CU gave up more kickoff returns (53) than any other FBS team in the country. The coverage unit was decent at times, but the Buffs were vulnerable to giving up big plays. Baylor’s Jamaal Bell had a 100-yard kickoff return for touchdown and Texas Tech’s J’Koby Williams had returns of 57 and 46 yards in one game.

Sanders is hoping he fixed that problem by signing Buck Buchanan, a senior transfer from Louisiana Tech. In 56 kickoffs last year, Buchanan gave up just four returns (for an average of only 14.5 yards), and he did that basically at sea level. Only Arizona (two) gave up fewer kickoff returns than Louisiana Tech.

Special teams coordinator Michael Pollock said in the spring that Mata (whose career long is 47 yards) could be the primary field goal kicker, with Buchanan (who is 20-of-31 with a long of 57 yards in his career) handling long field goals.

The Buffs also have options with incoming freshman walk-on Elliot Arnold, who was 15-of-17 on field goals (with a long of 52 yards) last year in high school, while booming touchbacks on 85% (34 of 40) of his kickoffs; walk-on junior Daniel Gerlach, who was 14-of-17 on field goals during his time at Boulder High School; and walk-on Alexander Stoyanovich, whose uncle, Pete, kicked in the NFL.

Mark Vassett, CU’s punter the last two years, has graduated and is now playing for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. In his place, the Buffs added former Kansas punter Damon Graves.

Like Vassett, Greaves is from Australia, and he brings a big leg to Boulder. In his two seasons at Kansas, Greaves averaged 40.7 yards per punt. He improved last year to 42.3 yards per punt.

Kameron Hawkins returns for his second season as the Buffs’ long-snapper. The former Arizona transfer handled all the punt and place kicking snapping duties last year and is expected to do the same this year. Three others, including veteran Buffs Camden Dempsey and Gabe Landers, will look to push Hawkins for playing time.