As a kid when I first started to watch football, I didn’t understand the importance of special teams. Offense was flashy and made sense to me – you score the points. Defense was hard-nosed and also made sense to me – you’re trying to prevent the points. Special Teams kind of felt like a formality to me, in a way. Just something that’s done to “switch sides” among the opponents, per se. Now that I’m no longer a kid, I’ve learned how blind I once was to the importance, intricacies, and impact of Special Teams.
There’s a reason coaches name three phases to the game of football, after all. A good special teams unit is an absolute weapon. Making opposing offenses drive longer distances than average gives your defense that much more opportunity to stop them – winning you games in the process. It’s a field position battle, and it all impacts a team’s win expectancy positively if you can win that battle. In order to win that battle, you need someone like Brendan Franke. Fortunately for the Hoosiers, he’s here, and he’s ready.
Franke joins the Hoosiers with a bevy of experience from schools across the country, playing for Morningside College, Nebraska, Georgia Southern, Texas State, and now, Indiana. Franke recognizes though that the work never stops and there’s always room for improvement. When asked about the biggest things he’s working on, Franke said, “Being as old as I am, you know, sixth year of college football, just trying to stay healthy. You know, as I get older, I have to stretch more, spend more time in the training room, stuff like that.”
Health will be important, as Franke is an extremely valuable player to this Hoosier team. Last season, per iuhoosiers.com and referenced by Coach Cignetti as well in a recent press conference (7:00 mark), Franke ended last season with an 82% touchback rate. He had zero (0) kicks out of bounds all year and ranked 14th nationally in average opponent starting field position at 24.67.
Kickoff success like Franke’s had impacts winning immensely. It gives your team the control over where the opponent starts their drive. You can plan around it, you can scheme on it, and most of all, you can trust the guy doing the kicking. When asked about the pressure and uniqueness of duties that comes with being a kicker, Franke said, “..our coach always tells us to focus, not be concentrated, but be focused and not overthink. And that’s the biggest thing, because the more you think about it, the worse it’s going to go. So you just let your leg do the work and it’ll all go the way it’s supposed to.”
That’s the kind of level headedness that a team like Indiana – with playoff aspirations again this season – desperately needs. Franke is not scared of the pressure that comes with a big stage and “…definitely figured out that I’m not really a person who listens to the noise” either.
Last season the Hoosiers struggled with the health of their kickoff specialists as Derek McCormick and Alejandro Quintaro both went down with injuries for an extended period of time. Quinn Warren stepped in to handle the kickoff duties, but having Franke stay healthy could be a major factor if IU’s special teams unit wants to be tops in the Big Ten.
If the coin flip leads to Indiana kicking, Brendan Franke will be the first Hoosier to touch the ball in the 2025 regular season. Be on the lookout for him there and watch that ball fly through the end zone as the Old Dominion Monarchs start from their own 25.