Lesson Learned – James Evans Makes Big Punting Impression

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Twitter found James Evans. Of course it did. You do something rarely seen in college football, good or bad, and social media zeroes in.

So there was Evans, newly arrived in America by way of New Zealand and then Australia as Indiana's punter of the future, in one of his first spring football practices, about to unintentionally separate himself from the norm.

He'd never played football before. In fact, he'd never been to the United States before. The pandemic had wiped out his recruiting visit. He signed -- or was signed, depending on your perspective -- based on film and Zoom and phone conversations.

At 6-1 and 222 pounds, Evans had a strong leg, athleticism, and toughness. He had been trained at Australia's ProKick, the same facility that had produced Haydon Whitehead, the four-year Hoosier starter whose career average of 41.4 yards ranks third in program history.

On this spring day, Evans hit the field, punted, then jogged to the sideline.

That's what everyone who has ever punted for the Cream & Crimson has done.

Two yards before he reached the sideline, he took off his helmet.

This was uncharted territory.

In a real game, that would have been a penalty. In this practice, it produced a teaching moment courtesy of special teams coordinator Kasey Teegardin, who most certainly noticed.

That included a run-the-Memorial-Stadium-stairs session.

"That was a bit of a learning curve," Evans says with a smile via recent Zoom interview moment. "I didn't realize how heavy (the helmet) was initially. It was about five pounds molded to my head. I enjoy my helmet, but I didn't realize you couldn't take it off. It was only about two yards from the sideline."

Two yards, twenty yards, it didn't matter. Evans had sinned a great football sin, and it generated that running penance and Twitter attention.

"The helmet incident happened," he says. "That was kind of funny. It went on Twitter. I was getting ripped. It was a good laugh."

Beyond the laughter, "After that, I realized how big the stadium was. Fifty-thousand-plus stadiums are no fun to run up. Yeah, lesson learned. It's not something I will do in the fall, for sure."

What will Evans do in the fall?

Head coach Tom Allen can't wait to find out.

"He's talented now, I'm telling you," Allen says. "He's everything we thought he was going to be. We still have to continue to develop him and get him ready. He's a hard, hard worker; he's physically strong; he's a gifted athlete. I think he's going to be excellent."

Evans was recruited to replace Whitehead, a Ray Guy Award semifinalist last season after averaging a career-high 43.4 yards. He had 27 career punts of at least 50 yards, and 83 which finished inside the 20-yard line.

"He was really consistent," Evans says. "He was one of the best punters in the Big Ten."

Now Whitehead serves as Evans' mentor.

"We've kicked balls together a few times," Evans says. "He's helped with everything from on the field to off the field; from handling coaches to handling teammates to handling pressure."

Whitehead blazed a Cream & Crimson trail Evans happily follows.

"If he hadn't done such a good job, I probably wouldn't have been here. Before I got here, I spoke to him a few times, texted him numerous times. It was about what to expect. That was helpful in easing my transition. I'm very fortunate to still have him in my life."

Evans watched American college football as a teenager. He was an all-around athlete who played rugby and squash before going to ProKick.

How did he end up a punter?

"I kicked the ball a lot in rugby and I was pretty good with that. It got to the point where my interest in playing rugby declined. I thought it would be good to play football in the States."

Even in New Zealand, IU's academic and athletic reputations were draws.

"I knew how good the Kelley School of Business is and how good the football program is," Evans says. "Playing Big Ten football really appealed to me."

Evans arrived in Bloomington for the second semester. His education in punting went way beyond keeping his helmet on.

"There's more to punting than just kicking the ball," he says. "Coach Teegardin did a good job in the spring of teaching me everything. That eased the tradition.

"I watched a lot of film with Coach Teegardin and learned about following my lines directionally behind the shield."

Translation: stay in position behind his blocking.

Like Whitehead, Evans can punt with his right or left foot. It's the advantage of that rugby background that could also see him punt rolling out (again like Whitehead) or in the traditional manner.

"I grew up playing rugby and had to kick with my left foot," he says. "I can (punt left footed). I'm not sure that will be part of the playbook."

The left-footed Whitehead punted with his right foot against Rutgers last season.
"If it came to it, I would be comfortable doing it," Evans says. "It's not something I've been made aware we'll be doing."

As far as rolling out or typical punting, Evans says, "I'm comfortable doing both. Coach Teegardin is comfortable with me doing both."

Comfort didn't include Indiana winters. Evans had read about the climate differences between New Zealand and Indiana, but real appreciation came while walking to the mall shortly after his arrival on campus. He was wearing shorts and flip-flops.

The problem -- it was January with a temperature of 24 degrees.

"It was really cold. Coach Allen was probably like, 'Who is this kid?'"

You can understand Evans' confusion. For one thing, January is summer for those living in the southern hemisphere. For another, Evans says, "Back home, it gets hot, but not too hot. It gets cold, but not too cold."

Indiana is, for those who live here, known for temperature extremes.

As with the helmet, Evan quickly adjusted to his new reality.

"I bought two to three coats because it was like, 'I'm going to die out here if I don't.'"

Then there's Evans' strong accent.

"There's a language barrier at times," he say. "I'll say some words and people will be like, 'Man, what are you saying?"

Food also was an adventure. Trips to BuffaLouie's and Chick-fil-A earned "pretty good" ratings.

Overall, Evans adds, "After six months, I'm pretty much fully acclimated."

Acclimation includes Big Ten-caliber facilities.

"Kicking in the stadium for the first time in January was really surreal. Those first two weeks you're here, it's like, 'Wow, this is so cool. Everything is so developed and top tier.'

"Until you get here, you don't realize the scale of things and how much the public cares about college athletics; how nice the facilities are."

Evans has joined a strong specialist group that includes can't-miss kicker Charles Campbell (12-for-13 in career field goals, 26-for-26 on extra points) and highly regarded long snapper Sean Wracher.

"They have helped my transition," Evans says. "I'm good friends with them. They've helped me on and off the field, given me advice on the field and in the weight room, dealing with people and things to do in Bloomington. They've made me fit in really well."

Indiana University Athletics

Lesson Learned – James Evans Makes Big Punting Impression

Players Mentioned

Charles Campbell

James Evans

Haydon Whitehead

Sean Wracher

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