Spring Game Latest Example of Radicic’s Unprecedented Accuracy
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Dusk hovers over Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium as the Indiana Hoosiers debut a spring football game like no other before in program history, which reflects a 16-0 national championship run like no other.
Amid passes thrown, runs made and tackles totaled in what ends as a 26-16 offense victory in front of the largest spring game crowd IU has ever had, and on a Thursday night that sees quarterback Fernando Mendoza selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as the No. 1 NFL Draft pick, Nico Radicic jogs out to work his kicking magic, first an extra point, then a 25-yard field goal, then a 50-yarder, then another extra point and then, finally, a 30-yard field goal.
IU has never had a kicker like this redshirt junior out of Texas. No one has. Radicic makes field goals with unprecedented accuracy (93.5 percent for his career), and if he’s not quite at the NCAA minimum record requirement, that will soon change, perhaps during the Sept. 5 season opener against North Texas.
“My goal is to be the most accurate kicker in college history,” he says.
Radicic has made 29-of-31 field goals in his career. Officially, he needs to make at least 30 field goals and have a minimum of 1.2 field goals made per game, to qualify.
The record is held by Wake Forest’s Nick Sciba, who made 80-of-89 field goal attempts (89.9 percent) from 2018-21. Nebraska’s Alex Henery is next at 89.5 percent followed by Florida State’s Roberto Aguayo (88.4 percent) and Cincinnati/TCU’s Chris Manfredini (87.7).
Radicic, who is also 158-for-158 on extra points, fully buys into head coach Curt Cignetti’s keep-improving approach. Still, how can he get more accurate?
“I need to keep sustaining it and not fill my head with the fact I had two 90 percent years,” he says. “It’s one kick after another. I don’t think about the next one. Run out there for this one, and after that’s done, focus on the next one. My confidence was always built on being a guy who’s very consistent and made the kicks.”
The results prove it. Radicic was 10-for-11 in 2024 and 18-for-19 last season, the lone miss coming against Ohio State during the Big Ten title game. The NCAA single-season accuracy record is 21-for-21, set by Tulane’s Cairo Santos in 2012.
Radicic says the impetus for setting the career accuracy record came after someone mentioned it to him in the locker room after IU beat Miami for the national championship. He was 2-for-2 on field goals during the Hoosiers’ 27-21 victory.
“I went home after that and wanted to see (what the record was),” he says. “I thought it was 93 percent, but it’s less than that.”
Taking plenty of mental reps is part of his improvement process.
“I take it day by day,” he says. “It’s the same way I take it kick by kick. See what I can improve on for that day.
“I’ve kicked every day of spring ball for the first time since I’ve been here. I wanted to take advantage of every day. I look at my film every day and see where I can get better. I’m working on centimeters, not inches. Looking at those little things and improving on them every day.”
Radicic does that in and out of the football complex.
“When I’m sitting in my room, I’m looking at my 10 kicks (each practice) for about an hour. I look at every single thing.”
Soreness had prevented previous everyday spring work. That’s no longer the case.
“Last spring my core was getting super sore, even with treatment every day,” he says. “This spring I didn’t get sore once.”
The result -- Radicic says he kicked more balls throughout the day than ever before.
“My legs have felt better. When it comes to routine, I still kick pre-practice on field-goal days. I’ll go to the practice field or (the Mellencamp Pavilion) and get some extra work in before field goal period. Then, it’s bombs away.”
Accuracy includes staying calm under pressure. That was certainly true in the national championship game, when IU had to hold off the surging Hurricanes and needed a clutch field goal to help do it.
Radicic delivered.
“It’s from being out there so many times and staying prepared throughout the week,” he says. “If I wasn’t preparing myself throughout the week, I’d be nervous. That’s not the case. I stay ready throughout the week, so when Saturday comes around, I have fun. That’s not going to change.”
Radicic says he’s expanded his range. His career long is 46 yards, but he says he’s now comfortable up to 58 yards. He made his 50-yarder in the spring game with room to spare.
“It's all about contact,” he says. “It was never about how strong my leg was. I just had to find where that plant foot felt comfortable and where I can swing through the ball.
“I can say confidently now that range is not a problem for me anymore.”
Cignetti says Radicic is similar to his All-American kicker at James Madison, Ethan Radke, who is the only kicker in FCS history to make 100 field goals. He finished with 101 and an FCS-record 86.3 accuracy percentage.
“Nico has a great mindset,” Cignetti says. “He’s very confident. Very deliberate. He has a method about him. I think we do a good job of managing him and I think he likes the way we do manage him.”
Cignetti pauses. Smiles.
“I’m not a kicker. I’m also not a very good golfer. It’s a pretty technical craft. All I know is he kicks them right between the uprights.”
Kicking success also requires a good snap and hold. New longer snapper Drew Clausen, an Iowa State transfer, and kicker Quinn Warren are in those roles.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement since the moment Drew came here,” Radicic says. “We also have Quinn, who has been here, but wasn’t our starting holder last year. They had to get on the same page before I got on the same page with them. That took a week or two. Once they were on the same page, we were good.”
The key to making it work, Radicic adds, is communication.
“Everyone talks with each other to work out a problem. If I need something or Quinn needs something or Drew needs something, it’s always one or two quick sentences between kicks and it gets fixed.”
Adding to the kicking depth is Paddy McAteer, a Troy transfer who kicked a 56-yarder in the spring game.
“Our kicking game looks real solid right now -- punter, kicker, kickoff, field goal,” Cignetti says.
Directing it all is special teams coach Grant Cain, who has been on Cignetti’s staff since 2019 at James Madison.
“When it comes to specialists,” Radicic says, “the most important thing is to leave the guy on his own, let him do his own thing and find his own confidence.
“That's what Coach Cain does. He doesn't come up to me before games and boost my head for five minutes and tell me what to do that day.
“It's kind of just ‘do your thing, Nico and after the game, we'll all be happy because you did your job.’”
As far as the spring game, the two-quarter scrimmage was divided into offensive and defensive teams. Touchdowns were worth six points, field goals three points, and an extra point one point.
A defensive touchdown was worth seven points, a turnover gained was worth four points. A defensive stop or a forced punt was worth three points. A safety was worth two points.
Quarterback Josh Hoover, a TCU transfer, opened action with a first-down-generating pass to receiver Nick Marsh, a Michigan State transfer. Hoover later connected with receiver Davion Chandler with a 20-yard-plus pass to set up tailback Khobie Martin’s TD run.
Also, quarterback Grant Wilson hit receiver Tyler Morris, a Michigan transfer healthy after missing last season with a knee injury, for a 75-yard touchdown pass.
Tailback Turbo Richard, a Boston College transfer, had some tackle-busting runs. Martin broke loose for a first-down-making run. Quarterback Tyler Cherry had some first-down-making completions. The defense had multiple sacks.
“We got done what I think we wanted to get done,” Cignetti says. “We got out of there without any major injuries; played a lot of people.
“We had a lot of people out. We’ll look a lot different in the fall. We have to have a great summer. All these guys should be better in fall camp. Fo the new guys, it will be the second time through. We’ve got a lot of work to do, obviously.”
The game was stopped briefly to display Mendoza’s selection by the Raiders, generating a huge roar from the crowd. Receiver Omar Cooper Jr. later was the No. 30 NFL pick by the New York Jets. The Hoosiers had six more players selected by the time the draft ended on Saturday.
“It was an exciting night for Indiana with Fernando being the first choice, which we all anticipated,” Cignetti said.