2023 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 94 Days (James Evans)

Written by: Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The 2023 edition of the Hoosier Huddle Countdown is officially underway! We are counting down from 100 to the beginning of the 2023 Indiana University football season. Each day, we will look at one (or two) players on the current Indiana football roster and highlight the player’s role in the upcoming season. Today we look at another specialist, punter James Evans.

Name: James Evans

Hometown: Aukland, New Zealand (Sacred Heart College Auckland)

Position: Punter

Year: Junior

Height/Weight: 6’1”/216 pounds

Social Media: Twitter (@James8Evans)

James Evans had a spectacular sophomore campaign after a mixed bag of results his freshman season. Evans is currently the program leader in average yards per punt (43.1) and has 17 career punts downed inside the 10-yard line. During his freshman season out of New Zealand, Evans averaged 41.9 yards per punt on 69 punts. He was either boom or bust, however. He put 13 punts inside the 20-yard line and forced 17 fair catches.

Evans vowed to improve on his inconsistency in 2022 and did. On 75 punts, Evans averaged 44.3 yards, had 24 punts over 50 yards while pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line 30 times and forcing 19 fair catches. He did have two punts blocked and that is something the Hoosiers need to clean up in 2023. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention by both the media and the coaches.

“I think I've just gotten more confident, more comfortable. You know as my time has progressed and then continuing to develop and become more consistent.” Evans said last season.

The Hoosier Huddle Countdown to Kickoff rolls on with Day 93 tomorrow!