2026 Indiana Football Position Preview: Special Teams

While Fernando Mendoza's dive into the end zone against Miami will be the lasting image of Indiana's perfect national championship season, the Hoosiers special teams provided season-altering plays as well.

IU loses its punter, punt returner, long snapper, and kickoff specialist heading into 2026, but they do return 'Mr. Automatic' kicker Nicolas Radicic.

Indiana Football’s Special Teams Could Quietly Be a Major Strength

Indiana returns field goal kicker Nicolas Radicic, the IU record holder for most consecutive extra points made (158) - he missed only two of his 30 field goal attempts in his career.

He showed off the ability to hit in the clutch with two clutch kicks in the win over Iowa and two more in the national title game.

Radicic is money from 45 yards and in, but hasn't really been tested with how far out his range really is.

The Hoosiers relied on Brendan Franke as their long field goal option last season. In the spring game, Radidic connected from 50 yards, and that seems to be near the limits of his range.

With Franke out of eligibility, the Hoosiers turn to Troy transfer Patty McAteer to handle the long field goal and kickoff duties. McAteer blasted a 58-yard field goal in the spring game that would have been good from 65.

Another Aussie Punter Comes In

As a team, the Hoosiers punted just 43 times in 16 games. Mitch McCarthy departs after punting 37 times for a 41-yard average.

While McCarthy dealt with an early injury, do-everything kicker Quinn Warren filled in admirably, and now he's ready to take over if needed.

Warren is back again to fill in where needed, but the Hoosiers turned to the transfer portal to bring in 29-year-old sophomore Billy Gowers from Hawaii. Gowers, a ProKick Australia alumnus, averaged 46.2 yards per punt last season.

He has a booming leg, and while the Hoosiers have not punted a ton under Cignetti, it did play a big role in the outcome of games in '24 and '25.

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