Kasey Teegardin Knows the Importance of Special Teams in Getting IU to the Next Level

Kasey Teegardin is ready to elevate IU’s special teams unit Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The lasting images from Indiana’s 23-22 loss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl were of an ill-covered onside kick, a missed extra point and a missed 52-yard field goal by Logan Justus. Special teams has played and will continue to play a major role in how far this Indiana football program will go. 2019 special teams coordinator William Inge left IU to take the defensive coordinator job at Fresno State, so Tom Allen promoted safeties coach Kasey Teegardin to take over the special teams heading into the 2020 regular season.

The goal for Teegardin is a simple one, make IU’s special teams a priority.

“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 last week. “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.”

Winning the field position battle is at the top of his list of things to improve. Since 2017 the Hoosiers are 3-16 when they lose the starting field position battle and 14-1 when they win that battle. Numbers do not lie and it is just common sense that where a team starts drives is going to determine the outcome of the game.

So where does one start with changing the tides in field position?

Teegardin had an answer, “you've got to do it with great special teams play, pin the ball deep when you need to, changing the field, breaking big returns, get the ball to midfield to start the offense, that's why I wanted the whole team in there. What we're doing on special teams is going to impact the entire team. That's been my biggest challenge to the team in general and just trying to motivate those guys to get them to understand the bigger picture.”

The Hoosiers ranked 10th in the Big Ten with just 19.2 yards per kick return in 2019, while their opponents averaged 20 yards per return, which ranked seventh in the conference. The Hoosiers’ David Ellis showed the potential to be one of the better kick returners in recent IU history, but this is a squad that has not had a kick return touchdown since 2012 and has not had a kick return over 40 yards since 2015.

The Hoosiers should have no issue with personnel on their special teams unit. Ellis gives them a dynamic returner on kick offs. “If you look at it David Ellis is probably one or two reads away from being the top kick returner in the conference. I'm not going to be making wholesale changes, but definitely some improvements in my and Coach Allen's opinion.”

Haydon Whitehead has been stellar punting as he has a career average of 41 yards and has pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line 72 times.

Former five-star kicking prospect Charles Campbell is set to take over for Logan Justus. Campbell kicked and made both of his field goal attempts last season. The Hoosiers also return kick-off special Jared Smolar who had a touchback rate north of 79-percent.

Teegardin believes that “Sean Wracher is the best long snapper in the Big Ten, in my opinion returning.”

“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.”

After an eight-win season, the pressure will be on this phase of the game to take the next step. Only time will tell if that pressure will produce the diamonds IU needs or the coal that has left IU just short of their ultimate goals.