This the main trade off. However, there are a couple more considerations:
-Recruiting can get good kickers but it means allocating slots reducing the 85 by 2-4 slots. In recent times we have done that. Have to also have good snappers for punters and Pkickers another one or two slots are generally needed for that - again we don't have obvious issues there.
-There are also some HS players that are "natural" returners and gunners and a select few that are kicker blockers. Don't think we have had the ability to even consider recruiting any ST specialists in recent years. The unexpected losses of scholarship players has resulted in the need to use essentially all of the incoming FR classes to replenish our starting 22. Think this has been our biggest program management issue in recent years resulting in teams that have to play way too many young players.
-There are good special team coaches out there but to get and retain them costs. More importantly unless a multitasker can be found can reduce the effectiveness of the total coaching staff. Pretty much every team I've followed closely goes with a position coach with ST as a collateral duty.
All this being said am not a "happy camper" as in this and recent years have featured way too many momentum changing ST plays. If (hopefully when) we get to the BCS my nightmare is having a long runback or blocked kick at the least opportune time. Right now think every team that plays us spends some time working on how to exploit our recurring shortfalls in this area can whereas we seem to operate on idea that what we want to do is to be sound enough to not get hurt too badly, which for the most part is what happens.