IU football 2026 preseason position previews: Specialists

IU football kicker Nico Radicic.

Welcome to “Indiana football preseason position previews,” a series that will break down the depth chart and production potential of Indiana’s roster ahead of the 2026 season

Today: Specialists

Special teams can flip a game as much as the offense or defense. Curt Cignetti and his staff have never once treated the group as an afterthought. Indiana has to deal with some turnover within the group ahead of the 2026 season.

Here is what to expect.

Punter

Returning: Quinn Warren

Departures via transfer portal: None

Departures via graduation/NFL Draft/Out of Eligibility: Mitch McCarthy, Olubade Baker

Arrivals via transfer portal: Billy Gowers (Hawaii)

Incoming freshmen: None

Indiana did not have to utilize the punt team very much in the 2025 season. The Hoosiers punted 43 times in 16 games, for an average of 2.68 punts per game. That mark was good for fourth in the conference behind Oregon, Washington and Ohio State.

Mitch McCarthy, a 28-year-old transfer from UCF, was responsible for 37 of those punts. McCarthy averaged 41.6 yards per punt and landed 15 boots inside the 20-yard line.

When it mattered most, he delivered. Of his 37 punts, 13 came in Indiana’s four postseason games. Eight of the 13 postseason punts landed inside the 20. McCarthy tied a season-high with five punts in the national championship game and delivered an average of 48.2 yards per punt, including a season-long 55-yarder in the third quarter to flip the field.

McCarthy attended Patriots rookie minicamp and was drafted in the second round of the CFL Draft (14th overall) by the Hamilton Tiger Cats, where he signed and currently plays.

The other six punts came courtesy of Quinn Warren as McCarthy was ruled out with an injury for weeks two and three of the season. Warren, then a sophomore walk-on, delivered six punts with an average distance of 48 yards and a long of 57. He showed he is more than capable of stepping in whenever needed.

Warren does return in 2026, but, in all likelihood, he will not be the starter. Indiana hit the portal once again and signed Billy Gowers, a 30-year-old sophomore from the University of Hawaii.

Gowers comes from an Australian rules football background. He was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 rookie draft and No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 rookie draft, where he signed with the Western Bulldogs. He was the leading goal-kicker for the Western Bulldogs in his debut season. Gowers played Aussie rules football in various leagues up until 2024, before joining the ProKick Australia program to learn how to play American football.

Gowers signed with Hawaii, where he punted 49 times with an average of 46.2 yards per punt with a long of 67 yards in his freshman season. He landed over 50 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line and only had two touchbacks all season.

Gowers proved he can make the transition quickly and has a very promising future. The Hoosiers hope not to have to use him, but he should be able to deliver when called upon.

Place Kicker

Returning: Nico Radicic, Bryce Taylor, Josh Placzek

Departures via transfer portal: None

Departures via graduation/NFL Draft/Out of eligibility: None

Arrivals via transfer portal: None

Incoming freshmen: None

Of all of Indiana’s position groups on the roster, kicker is the most continuous from a season ago.

That is the best-case scenario.

Nico Radicic has cemented himself as one of the best kickers in the country. In his Indiana career, Radicic has converted 29 of his 31 field goal attempts and made all 158 of his extra points.

In the 2025 season, Radicic went 18-for-19 on field goals with a long of 46 yards and 87-for-87 on extra points. He took home the Big Ten Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year award, first-team All-Big Ten honors from conference media and second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches.

Bryce Taylor, a redshirt-freshman walk-on from Bloomington, and Josh Placzek, a redshirt sophomore walk-on from Carmel, fill out the rest of the room.

It is Radicic’s starting job. He is as accurate as there is. While he has been building his distance-kicking capabilities, do not be surprised to see him subbed out on field goal attempts of 50-55+ yards.

Radicic is rapidly moving up the charts and record tables for Indiana kickers. He is poised for another big year in 2026.

Kickoff Specialist

Returning: Quinn Warren

Departures via transfer portal: None

Departures via graduation/NFL Draft/Out of eligibility: Brendan Franke, Olubade Baker

Arrivals via transfer portal: Paddy McAteer

Incoming freshmen: None

The kickoff specialist position has been a wild ride for the last two seasons at Indiana. Numerous injuries and blowout games have allowed for six different players to take on kickoff duties.

In 2025, Brendan Franke was brought in from Texas State to be the mainstay at the position. Injuries derailed about half of his season. Warren came in to fill the void, much like he did for McCarthy at the punter position.

Franke went 46-for-54 on touchbacks and Warren went 33-for-56. Placzek and Radicic were sprinkled in at the position along the way.

For 2026, Indiana went back to the portal and landed Paddy McAteer, a redshirt senior out of Troy. McAteer went 34-for-64 on touchbacks with an average of 68.4 yards per kickoff for the Trojans this past season.

McAteer appears to be the No.1 at the position this season for Indiana. In the chance that an injury pops up or a change is needed, Warren will be the clear next-in-line for kickoff duties.

Long Snapper

Returning: Sam Lindsey

Departures via transfer portal: None

Departures via graduation/NFL Draft/Out of eligibility: Mark Langston

Arrivals via transfer portal: Drew Clausen

Incoming freshmen: Jackson Tolle

Mark Langston’s seven-year, three-school college football career ended on a sweet note. As an underappreciated piece on Indiana’s special teams, Langston earned unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and coaches.

Langston joined the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent.

To replace Langston, Indiana signed 6-foot-6, 260-pound Drew Clausen from Iowa State. Clausen appeared in all 26 games for the Cyclones the last two seasons, serving as the long snapper and short snapper in 24 of the 26 contests.

Clausen was ranked the No. 7 long snapper in the transfer portal by 247Sports. He will almost certainly be the starter for the entirety of his one year with the Hoosiers, barring injury.

Punt/Kick Returners

The biggest question regarding the special teams unit lies here. There is no cut-and-dry list of punt and kick returners to choose on a depth chart. Some candidates have done the job before, but there is no telling whether Cignetti will want them to do so at Indiana.

In 2025, Jonathan Brady was responsible for 21 of the 22 non-blocked punt returns. Roman Hemby was responsible for nine of the 10 kickoff returns. Both have joined Fernando Mendoza in Las Vegas.

Ahead of the 2026 season, they will be replaced, in all likelihood, with guys who have done the job before. Tyler Morris returned 15 punts over two seasons at Michigan and has proved to be a threat in the return game and the open field. Morris is the most likely candidate to earn the job. The depth behind him is somewhat of a toss-up. Speedy slot receivers in Lebron Bond and Davion Chandler could be names to watch.

In the kick return game, the most likely candidate to win the job is Turbo Richard. Richard returned two kicks for 30 yards a season ago and has elite speed in the open field. Do not be surprised to see Bond, Chandler, Shazz Preston or even a young defensive back compete for the spot as well.

The return game is a mystery that will unravel as fall camp commences.