Spring Practice 2018 Position Battle: Kick Returner

Whop Philyor should be in the running for kick return duties in 2018 Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Our next installment of the Spring Practice Preview is the position battle at kick returner. While some may scoff at this and say that kick return is just not that important or we are reaching here, there is immense value in these “hidden” yards.  According to Bill Connelly’s book Study Hall which chronicled the 2012 college football season teams that held a significant starting field position advantage tended to win the game more often than not. Take a look at the table below:

While going 5-7 in the 2017 season the Hoosiers were 5-1 when winning the field position battle and 0-6 when they lost. Overall, the Hoosiers started with about 1.2 yards worse field position as their opponents. There are a lot of factors other than kick returns in the field position battle, but this is an aspect where the Hoosiers struggled mightily (the Hoosiers ranked 107th in kickoff returns at 18.8 yards per attempt) and any uptick could be the difference between another bowl-less 5-7 year and a postseason berth.

Indiana’s primary kick returner in 2017 was Devonte Williams, he has since moved on to Southeastern Louisiana University. Williams averaged just 18.7 yards per kick return. So, who do the Hoosiers turn to here this spring? There is a plethora of candidates that have the ability and even some experience to make this aspect of the game less of a black hole. We looked at them on Thursday in our Special Teams Preview. Here is how I think this position shakes out.

1. Cole Gest, Running Back

Indiana will have a deeper stable of running backs this season and the addition of Ronnie Walker to that room this spring probably moves Gest to third on the depth chart there, which will allow him to become a difference maker in the return game. Gest has plenty of attributes that good returners possess. He has the burst and straight-ahead speed, that Williams just didn’t show on kick returns. Gest is also thick in the legs, which should allow him to get through the arm tackles that returners need to avoid to turn a decent return into a great return.

Gest showed what he can do when he is healthy in 2017 and he should be able to rack up the all-purpose yards in the running and return games. He has returned six kicks during his IU career for 131 yards which is good 21.8-yard average (that would have been good enough for 47th nationally).

2. Whop Philyor, Wide Receiver

The other player currently on the Hoosier roster who has kick returning experience is Whop Philyor. As a freshman, Philyor returned three kicks for 66 yards. He had become one of the better receivers on the team as the season wore on and his skill set fits perfectly here, if Tom Allen and his staff feel comfortable putting one of their better wide receivers, a position of limited depth, in a vulnerable position. However, teams like IU need to use their best players on special teams in order to make a difference on special teams and win games, because when it’s all said and done that is what counts.

3. Raheem Layne, Cornerback

Layne is a bit of a wildcard here since we have not seen him return kicks, but his skill set is intriguing to say the least. Layne became a steady contributor on defense last year and should be in the running for an increase of playing time in 2018. He is a smooth runner with a long stride who runs fast even if it doesn’t really look like it on tape.

4. LaDamion Hunt, Cornerback

Hunt is another fast corner who should factor into the rotation on defense and his 4.49 40-yard dash out of high school should have fans’ mouths watering for him to get a shot to open it up in the return game. He is very similar to Layne in that he is a smooth runner who goes from 0-to-60 in a flash.

5. Craig Nelson, Running Back

Personally, I am really intrigued by Nelson, even if he has fallen off the radar of some. He has speed, was an outstanding high school running back in the power house Dade County in Florida. With that being said he has to prove he is better than the players in front of him. All four of those players have seen the field already so it could be an uphill battle.

There could be other options joining the Hoosiers in the fall, including the electric Reese Taylor, but right now IU can only work with those players on campus.

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