James Evans

Kennesaw State

Sep 6 (Sat)

Noon

BLOOMINGTON, IN - August 13, 2024 - punter James Evans #94 of the Indiana Hoosiers during Fall Camp at John Mellencamp Pavillion in Bloomington, IN. Photo By Dalton Wainscott/Indiana Athletics

Photo by: DTW

Photo by: \202#2\

Photo by: Indiana Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, IN - October 08, 2022 - punter James Evans #94 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. Photo By Sammy Nance\Indiana Athletics

Photo by: Sammy Nance\Indiana Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, IN - September 17, 2022 - punter James Evans #94 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the game between the Western Kentucky Hill Toppers and the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. Photo By Gracie Farrall\Indiana Athletics

Photo by: Gracie Farrall\Indiana Athletics

Photo by: Andrew Mascharka/Indiana Athletics

Position:
P
Ht./Wt.:
6-1 / 222
Year:
Freshman
Hometown:
Auckland, New Zealand
High School:
Sacred Heart College Auckland

Career Notes & Records
Played first downs of American football at Iowa (9/4) in 2021 season opener ... Did not take a campus visit to Indiana due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... Pinned 24 career punts inside the 10-yard line ... Named to All-Big Ten third team in 2023. Game: Owned four of the top-15 single-game punting averages in program history: No. 1 - 57.5 (at Penn State, 2023); No. 4 - 54.2 (Ohio State, 2023); No. 7 - 53.8 (Rutgers, 2023); No. 12 - 51.0 (Indiana State (9/8). Season: Held best single-season punting average in 2023 (45.8 ypp) ... Also owned No. 3 single-season punt average mark (44.3; 2022), tied with Jim DiGullio (1992) ... Finished No. 3 in total punts (75) in 2022, tied with Tyson Beattie (2005). Career: Owned Indiana’s top career punting average (43.7) ... Ranks No. 4 in career punts (237).

2024 (Senior Season)
Awards: Named Academic All-Big Ten.

Season: Appeared in all 13 games with 12 starts at punter ... Did not punt versus Western Illinois (9/6) to mark the first time since at least 1996 that Indiana did not punt in a game ... Served as primary holder on all placements in 2024.

FIU (8/31): Hit three punts for an average of 43.0 yards. Western Illinois (9/6): Held on each of the program-record 11 made extra points by Nicolas Radicic. at UCLA (9/14): Punted once for 38 yards in the fourth quarter. Charlotte (9/2): Hit one punt for 50 yards ... Lone punt landed inside the 20-yard line. Maryland (9/28): Averaged 47.0 yards per punt on four kicks ... Pinned two punts inside the 20-yard line, with one downed inside the Maryland 10-yard line ... Long punt traveled 58 yards. at Northwestern (10/5): Hit one punt for 39 yards. Nebraska (10/19): Lone punt went 32 yards in the fourth quarter. Washington (10/26): Averaged 44.5 yards per punt on four punts ... Dropped one punt inside the Washington 10-yard line. at Michigan State (11/2): Hit four punts for an average of 47.0 yards per punt ... Dropped two punts inside the 20-yard line with one inside the 10-yard line. Michigan (11/9): Dropped two of four punts inside the UM 20-yard line ... Averaged 41.2 yards per punt. at Ohio State (11/2): Punted five times for an average of 42.8 yards ... Pinned one punt inside the 10-yard line. Purdue (11/30): Hit two punts for an average of 52.5 yards ... Pinned one punt inside the 20-yard line. at Notre Dame (12/20): Hit six punts for a 33.7-yard average ... One punt dropped inside the 20-yard line.

2023 (Junior Season)
Awards: Named third-team All-Big Ten by the conference media panel ... tabbed fourth-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele ... earned honorable mention All-Big Ten from the conference coaches ... Named Academic All-Big Ten.

Season: Appeared in all 12 games ... owns three of the top-10 single-game punting averages (min. 3 punts) in program history.

Ohio State (9/2): Punted six times for 325 yards ... long punt went 60 yards ... 54.2 yards per punt average ranks No. 9 on Indiana’s single-game charts. Indiana State (9/8): Posted two punts for 102 yards ... long punt went 56 yards. Louisville (9/16): Had five punts for 196 yards ... two punts landed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line ... one was inside the 10-yard line. Akron (9/23): Charted seven punts for 313 yards ... had three punts of 50-plus yards with long of 53 ... one punt landed inside the 20-yard line. at Maryland (9/30): Punted five times for 183 yards ... one punt stopped inside the 20-yard line. at Michigan (10/14): Logged four punts for 167 yards ... long punt went 54 yards ... one punt landed inside the 20-yard line. Rutgers (10/21): Punted four times for 215 yards ... had a long punt of 70 yards ... one punt landed inside the 20-yard line ... 53.8 yards per punt average ranks No. 6 on Indiana’s single-game charts. at Penn State (10/28): Totaled four punts for 230 yards ... averaged 57.5 yards per punt which ranks No. 3 on the single-game charts at Indiana ... had a long punt of 64 yards ... one punt landed inside the 20-yard line. Wisconsin (11/4): Registered six punts for 266 yards ... averaged 44.3 yards per punt ... long punt traveled 55 yards ... landed three punts inside the 20-yard line with two inside the 10 ... the first went 47 yards to land at the Wisconsin 6-yard line with 12:13 in the second quarter ... the other also traveled 47 yards and landed out of bounds to pin Wisconsin at their 8-yard line. at Illinois (11/11): Punted four times for 150 yards ... had one punt land inside the Illinois 20-yard line. Michigan State (11/11): Totaled five punts for 234 yards ... averaged 46.8 yards per punt ... long punt of 58 yards ... one punt landed inside the 20-yard line. at Purdue (11/25): Punted five times for 231 yards for an average of 46.2 yards per punt ... long punt of 55 yards ... had two punts land inside the 20-yard line.

2022 (Sophomore Season)
Awards: Earned honorable mention All-Big Ten from the conference coaches and media panels ... Ray Guy Award preseason watch list ... Named Academic All-Big Ten.

Season: Started all 12 games at punter ... ranked No. 3 nationally in punts downed inside the 10-yard line (13) and punts inside the 20-yard line (30).

Illinois (9/2): Punted six times for 238 yards ... averaged 39.7 yards per punt ... hit one 50-yard punt ... pinned two punts inside the 20-yard line. Idaho (9/10): Punted twice for 104 yards ... both punts traveled 52 yards. Western Kentucky (9/17): Punted four times for 176 yards ... had two punts land inside the 20-yard line including ... first punt was downed on the 2-yard line ... long punt traveled 50 yards. at Cincinnati (9/24): Punted seven times for 315 yards ... two punts pinned the Bearcats inside their own 20-yard line. at Nebraska (10/1): Punted 10 times for 443 yards ... placed the ball inside the Nebraska 20-yard line on four occasions ... long punt went 61 yards. Michigan (10/8): Punted six times for 289 yards ... averaged 48.2 yards per punt ... pinned the Wolverines inside their own 20-yard line on two occasions. Maryland (10/15): Punted three times for 149 yards ... averaged 49.7 yards per punt ... Long punt traveled 57 yards. at Rutgers (10/22): Punted eight times for 233 yards ... pinned Rutgers at its own six yard line on 41-yard punt in the second quarter. Penn State (11/5): Punted nine times for 417 yards ... Five punts landed inside the PSU 20-yard line and three were inside the 10-yard line ... three punts traveled at least 50 yards. at Ohio State (11/12): Punted 11 times for a 45.5 yards per punt average ... five punts landed inside the Buckeye 20-yard line. at Michigan State (11/12): Punted six times for 220 yards ... pinned one punt inside the 20-yard line against the Spartans. Purdue (11/26): Hit three punts for a 47.0 yards per punt average ... all three punts landed inside the 20-yard line, with one inside the 10-yard line ... two of three punts traveled 50-plus yards.

2021 (Freshman Season)
Started all 12 games at punter ... hit eight punts for a 42.6 yards per punt average at Iowa (9/4) ... long punt traveled 58 yards ... pinned one punt inside the 20 yard line against the Hawkeyes ... averaged 37.5 yards per punt on four kicks against Idaho (9/11) ... landed one punt inside the 20 yard line ... long punt traveled 51 yards ... saw one of four punts downed inside the 20 yard line versus Cincinnati (9/18) ... averaged 44.5 yards per punt with a long of 55 yards ... both punts came in the second half at Western Kentucky (9/25) ... averaged 45.0 yards per punt with one punt downed inside the 20 yard line ... punted eight times for an average of 45.9 yards per punt ... landed one punt inside the 20 yard line ... two punts traveled 50-plus yards ... three punts were fair caught ... averaged 39.4 yards per punt on five punts ... long punt traveled 55 yards ... one punt was downed inside the 20 yard line ... hit six punts for 42.0 yards per punt ... downed one punt inside the 20 yard line ... hit a 62-yard punt ... averaged 38.7 yards per punt on seven punts at Maryland (10/30) ... one punt was downed inside the 20 yard line ... hit a 57-yard punt for his lone 50-plus yard punt ... hit eight punts for an average of 41.8 yards per punt at Michigan (11/6) ... pinned two punts inside the 20 yard line, including one inside the 10 ... long punt traveled 53 yards ... first punt of the game was downed at the Michigan 3 yard line ... averaged 44.2 yards per punt on six punts ... landed a pair of punts inside the Rutgers 20 yard line ... long punt went 49 yards ... averaged 46.6 yards per punt on five boots versus Minnesota (11/20) ... long punt traveled 51 yards ... hit six punts for a 34.7 yards per punt average at Purdue (11/27) ... long punt traveled 49 yards.

Prep/Personal
Evans never played football or visited the United States prior to joining Indiana ... he was scheduled to make a trip to the U.S. in July and visit IU in December but did not due to COVID-19 ... trained under Nathan Chapman and John Smith at Prokick Australia, a training ground for punters and kickers in Melbourne ... moved to Australia to work at Prokick in Jan. 2020 ... second-straight Indiana punter to arrive in Bloomington via Prokick (Haydon Whitehead) ... played rugby and squash in high school ... parents are Peter Evans and Clair Donnelly ... business management major ... born on May 17, 2001.