Spring Practice 2018 Position Preview: Special Teams
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Luke Timian took over punt return duties after J-Shun Harris went down. Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
We have reached the point where we are under 10 days until spring practice and today we are looking at the special teams units for the Hoosiers. There are some rock solid options at punter, long snapper and holder, but everything else is wide open.
Punter:
Haydon Whitehead, Rising RS-Junior-
Whitehead is the clear number one at punter after becoming one of Tom Allen’s favorite weapons in the battle for field position. Whitehead punted 85 times last season, probably more than people would like, and averaged 40.7 yards per punt. He limited returns as 31 of his punts were fair caught and 33 were downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He only had five touchbacks and one blocked punt, albeit a costly one.
While Whitehead did have a great season, there are still aspects of his game he will need to work on. For starters gaining more strength in his leg to push his average up a few yards. If he can boost his net average to 42-plus yards per punt, Whitehead may find himself on a few All-Conference lists.
Drew Conrad, Rising RS Sophomore-
Conrad, out of Center Grove high school, may be better known for his outstanding skills on twitter and as the holder on field goals and extra points. He also punts but will be the back-up unless something happens to Whitehead.
Kicker
There is a caveat at the kicking position this spring. The heavy favorite to win the job Charles Campbell is not on campus until the summer. However, that just opens the door for one of the kickers currently on campus to make a strong impression on the staff. The five kickers currently on the roster will have huge shoes to fill as two-time Big Ten kicker of the year Griffin Oakes graduated.
Logan Justus, Rising RS Junior-
Justus will be entering his third season with the Hoosiers where he has served as the back-up kicker after the departure of Aaron Del Grosso.
Nathanael Snyder Rising RS Sophomore-
Snyder was a high school teammate of punter Drew Conrad at Center Grove and earned himself some prestigious high school honors as he helped Center Grove to a state title. Snyder earned a spot on the 2015 Indiana All-USA Football Super Team as well as all-state and all-conference honors.
Jack Cardillo RS Freshman-
Cardillo walked-on to the team and red shirted the 2017 season after a stellar high school career where he both punted and kicked field goals. The Evergreen, Colorado native was an all-conference punter and knocked home six-of-seven field goals in his one year of high school football.
Jared Smolar Rising Sophomore-
Smolar is the only kicker in the spring with game action, which occurred while playing as a freshman at Rutgers. Smolar played in three games at Rutgers in 2015 kicking off 21 times. Smolar came out of Valparasio High School ranked as the no. seven kicker in the nation and won the 2016 Vegas XXVII ‘Field Goal Last Man Standing” competition. Can Smolar use his game experience to give him a leg up on the competition and could he make Tom Allen and Special Teams Coordinator William Inge use him as a kick-off specialist?
Elijah Hiltuen RS Freshman-
Hiltuen joined the program in 2017 as a walk-on and reshirted. He played his high school football at North Central in Indianapolis where he holds the school record for longest field goal made (49-yards).
Punt Returner
The Hoosiers had a really solid punt return unit in 2017 led by J-Shun Harris who returned two punts for scores, however he is recovering from a third knee surgery in as many years and probably will not be cleared for the spring. He has been working with the team during winter conditioning and is still listed on the official IU roster.
Luke Timian Rising RS Senior-
After All-Big Ten punt returner J-Shun Harris went down for the season with a knee injury, Timian became the primary return option. He was sure-handed and consistent in his return opportunities. While he wasn’t as explosive as Harris Timian averaged 7.5 yards per return on his 12 opportunities. The big question here is do you risk using Timian here, especially in the spring, with a relatively thin receiving corps or does the staff look at another position player?
Whop Philyor Rising Sophomore-
Philyor burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2017 at wide receiver. While he did not return any punts last season, he did get the opportunity to return three kickoffs and averaged a healthy 22 yards per return and while he may get more of a shot on kick returns, he has the hands and speed to be an impact on this return team.
J-Shun Harris Rising RS Senior-
Harris is still on the roster and has been working out with the team during the winter. It remains to be seen if he can make it all the way back, but he is working hard to find his way onto the field after a roller coaster 2017 season that saw him return two punts for touchdowns and suffer his third major knee injury in three seasons.
It would be difficult to envision Harris being cleared for contact this spring and coach Allen and coach Inge will have a tough decision to make if he can get all the way back by the fall. Can you risk another injury putting his in a vulnerable spot even if the reward is a big-play threat at punt returner?
Kick Returner
The kick returner spot has been an albatross for Hoosiers over the last couple of seasons. Last year’s primary kick returner, Devonte Williams, has moved on via transfer and the position is wide open (we’ll go more in-depth Friday in our position battle article).
Whop Philyor Rising Sophomore-
As we stated above Philyor has experience returning kicks at IU, but does IU want to risk making a thin receiving corps even thinner?
Cole Gest Rising RS Sophomore-
Gest is an intriguing option here. He has experience (13 kick returns for 131 yards), the burst and the strength to get throw the trash. Running back is also a position of relative depth and Gest could blossom in the return game while fighting for carries out of the backfield.
Craig Nelson Rising RS Freshman-
Craig Nelson arrived at IU with an impressive resume, but he has been buried on the running back depth chart for one reason or another. However, he can start to dig out of that hole by becoming a solid kick return specialist. While it remains to be seen what exactly Nelson can do on the field, he should get a shot here.
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