But even with all this context, seeing mainly white or Latino kickers on H.B.C.U. teams is still striking. While 23 percent of H.B.C.U. students identify as nonblack, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the proportion of black players on their Division I football teams hovers at about 95 percent. At North Carolina Central, for instance, the roster of nearly 100 players contains just five who are not black — the four specialists and an offensive lineman.

There are as many theories for why there are so few black kickers and punters as there are black kickers and punters at H.B.C.U.s — which is to say, just a few. A caveat — these are just theories, some flimsier than others.

Javaunie Francis, a black punter at the H.B.C.U. Bethune-Cookman, posited that black athletes are disdainful of those positions.

“A lot of black guys feel like, being a kicker or punter, you’re soft,” he said. “They don’t really want to do that type of stuff.”

It should be noted that people of all races have shared these sentiments.

Others point to socioeconomics, since poverty rates in many states are higher among African-Americans than other races, and honing the crafts of kicking or punting can require expensive personal coaching. Also, until recently, many colleges hoarded their full football scholarships for nonspecialists, so football players who came from families that needed financial aid had an incentive to play another position.