2020 Position Preview: Special Teams Got an Overhaul in 2020, Will the Results Follow?
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Haydon Whitehead booms a punt Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Special teams was an area where Indiana needed to upgrade after the 2019 season when multiple gaffs lead to painful losses. The Hoosiers have had a solid punter in Haydon Whitehead and place kicking had been steady with Griffin Oakes and Logan Justus until he fell apart in the last two games missing four field goals and a crucial extra point. Where the Hoosiers struggled at was in the kick and punt return department as well as just an overall coaching overhaul. This need was highlighted when Tennessee took advantage of poor communication and players out of position to execute an onside kick that helped the Volunteers steal a victory.
The coaching changes were made in the offseason. William Inge left to become the defensive coordinator at Fresno State with Kalen DeBoer as the head coach. Tom Allen promoted Kasey Teegarden, who coached safeties, to special teams coordinator.
“The very first meeting that I had in front of the team as the special teams coordinator, the entire team was in there, all I talked about was how important that play is” Teegardin told reporters in a teleconference in the spring. “We averaged 32 snaps a game on special teams last year. That includes PAT, field goal and PAT field goal block. When you break it down it is a third of the game.”
The struggles the Hoosiers have had in certain aspects of special teams is perplexing seeing as these have been some of the more talented deep teams in recent IU history.
“It definitely makes it a lot easier having Big Ten talent at the specialist positions” Teegardin said, “now I have challenged those guys to compete with each other and I told them that no job is safe. My firm belief is that pressure makes diamonds, and those guys, when they're on the field there's a lot of pressure on them. They get one play and it's got to be a game-changer. So even though they've got a lot of returning experience, I want them to raise their level as well, that's been my challenge to them this off-season.”
The Hoosiers will have some personnel changes to deal with on special teams in 2020, so let’s take a look at each position.
Field Goal Kicker- Charles Campbell
Logan Justus was nearly perfect before heading into the game against Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium, then his season crumbled before him. Justus missed three field goals against the Boilermakers and missed another field goal plus a critical extra point in the bowl game against Tennessee. Justus has graduated and while his season ended with a thud, or doink, it is a hole that needs to be filled.
The Hoosiers have recruited special teams well since Allen was hired as the head coach and his prized five-star kicking prospect Charles Campbell will see if he can continue what he started with a huge kick against Purdue after replacing Justus in the fourth quarter. Campbell was two-for-two on field goal attempts last year and looked great in a recent scrimmage by hitting a 57-yarder. Behind Campbell is ack Cardillo who has not seen any game action in his first three seasons in Bloomington.
Kickoff Specialist- Jared Smolar
Smolar split duties with Nathanael Snyder in 2019, however Smolar was by far the more consistent leg to kick it into the end zone. Snyder had a touchback rate of 43.6% and had three kicks go out of bounds on 55 attempts. Smolar had a touchback rate of 79.2% but only handled 24 kickoffs. While Smolar has a huge leg, the question becomes can he handle a full season of blasting kickoffs. In 2018, Smolar was the only kickoff specialist and saw his leg fatigue in the second half of the season. He finished with a touchback rate of just 35.9%. On the depth chart listed in the IU media guide, Campbell is listed as the backup kickoff specialist, but hopefully it won’t have to come to that point.
Punter- Haydon Whitehead
Whitehead came over from Australia prior to the 2017 season and has been great. He has averaged 41 yards per punt during his career and has placed 72 of his 187 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and 72 punts that had to be fair caught by opponents. He has 19 punts of more than 50 yards with a career long of 65. Whitehead has had two punts blocked, both at critical times in games and has 13 punts that have gone for touchbacks.
The senior punter looks to have his best year yet in 2020. He is a left footed punter, but when he arrived at IU he said he could punt with both legs, so keep an eye out as a punt could come off either foot. Behind Whitehead is Chase Wyatt, who had a standout career at Noblesville (Ind.) High School.
Long Snapper-Sean Wratcher
Wratcher was another five-star special teams prospect brought in by Tom Allen. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman and provided stability and consistency out of the position. Outside of a fake punt debacle against Penn State, Wratcher had an outstanding season. He enters the season as a Phil Steele All-Big Ten Third Team honoree.
Kick Return-David Ellis
David Ellis Image: Indiana University Athletics
This is where things get puzzling for the Hoosiers, who have had lots of skill talent over the last decade, but yet have not had a kick return touchdown since 2012. It is an aspect of the game that has hampered them in big games as well. The lack of explosive returns means the offense has to run that many more plays to gain that many more yards. A good kick returner could turn punts into field goals and field goals into touchdowns.
Sophomore David Ellis could be that guy who turns this position around. He showed glimpses of what he is capable of as a freshman is 2019 as he averaged over 20 yard a return and had 579 return yards. The Hoosiers want the ball in Ellis’s hands and kickoff return is a good way to do that. Ahrod Lloyd is listed as the primary backup to Ellis.
Punt Return- Reese Taylor or Whop Philyor
For as great of a season Philyor had on offense last season, the wide receiver took a lot of heat for how he handled punt returns. There were many times where he misread or mishandled a punt, most noticeably in the close loss to Penn State. Philyor had a couple long returns called back on penalties as well, so the lack of production is not all on him, but by the end of the season, it was a roll of the dice when a punt when in the air.
Reese Taylor is one of the best all-around athletes on the team and is battling for the punt return duties. While he has only fielded one punt in his career, he did return it for 10 yards and looks much more comfortable fielding punts than Philyor. Taylor came to IU as an explosive quarterback at Ben Davis and while he has turned into a weapon as a cornerback, he is still a playmaker with the ball in his hands. This will be a battle to watch as the season draws closer.