Indiana Football Position Preview: Special Teams

Indiana kicker Charles Campbell is back for his fifth year in pursuit of a professional career, and punter James Evans returns for his second year as a Hoosier. D.J. Matthews – a preseason Paul Hornung Award nominee – figures to return punts for Indiana, while David Holloman and Shaun Shivers were listed as the top two kick returners on Indiana's first depth chart release.

Editor's note: In our nine-part "Position Preview" series, we'll break down the entire Indiana football roster leading up to the Hoosiers' season opener against Illinois on Friday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. In our ninth and final installment, let's break down the special teams unit.

Last season, Indiana tight ends coach Kevin Wright called Matt Bjorson the quarterback of the special teams unit. Bjorson was in charge of making sure Indiana's kickoff and punt teams were organized, and he helped pave the way for D.J. Matthews' punt-return touchdown against Idaho.

After appearing in every game since his freshman season in 2018, Bjorson decided to use his fifth year of collegiate eligibility to transfer to Miami (OH). While Bjorson's special teams impact may not show up on the stat sheet, it's a loss that hasn't gone unnoticed by the coaching staff. 

And for Indiana special teams coach Kasey Teegardin, success in this critical area of the game often relies on two words.

Attitude and Effort

The logical replacement for Bjorson's leadership on the special teams unit is junior tight end AJ Barner, who spent his first two seasons learning behind Bjorson and Peyton Hendershot. While Barner has just 14 receptions in his Indiana career, Wright said he's been a star on special teams.

"[AJ] is a guy that walked on campus as a true freshman and he was running down on kickoff team and was forcing double teams on kickoff team just because of his physicality and his ability to make plays," Wright said.

The tight ends room is often relied on for special teams production, which is an area redshirt freshman James Bomba has embraced. Bomba said he always enjoyed playing special teams at Bloomington South High School, but he realized when he got to Indiana that it can make or break playing time in both college football and the NFL. 

As a walk-on, Bomba recognized that he could work his way into the mix if he showed high-effort in this area of the game.

"Running down on kickoff, you're trying to run through someone's face and make a tackle," Bomba said. "There's some technique involved, but really it's just your attitude and effort."

Campbell Pushing for Pro Career

Indiana kicker Charles Campbell made a name for himself after connecting on a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of Indiana's 44-41 win at Purdue in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. And since then, he's been among the top kickers in the Big Ten.

In 2020, Campbell hit 10-of-11 field goal attempts and all 25 extra points on his way to leading the Big Ten in field goal percentage and tying for ninth nationally. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors by Phil Steele and second-team honors by Big Ten coaches and media. 

Campbell made the Lou Groza Award watch list ahead of the 2021 season, but took a slight step back after making 13-of-18 field goal attempts. Campbell is a perfect 46-of-46 on extra point attempts in his Indiana career, and he's made 4-of-5 field goal attempts from 50-plus yards, which is second in program history to Pete Stoyanovich’s six from 1985 to 1988.

In his final year as a Hoosier, Campbell is hoping to catch the eye of NFL scouts. He has made a few slight adjustments with angles approaching kicks, but he said the mental aspect will be a big factor, as well.

"When you see kickers play in the NFL for 10-15 years, those guys are so mentally tough," Campbell said. "They can do the same thing every single time and repeat it no matter the situation, and that’s what I want to be."

Evans More Comfortable in Second Season

Indiana punter James Evans made the journey from Auckland, New Zealand to Bloomington, Ind. before the 2021 season. He'd never been to the United States, and he'd never played a football game in his life. Evans took the first snap of his football career in front of over 70,000 fans at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

"We were all saying how we couldn’t just walk into a foreign country and be there for a couple months and then all of a sudden be playing on one of the biggest stages in the country," Campbell said. "It’s crazy that he can walk out there and do that, but he has the talent to do it.”

Evans is the second straight punter to come to Indiana – following Hayden Whitehead – as a product of ProKick Australia, a training ground for punters and kickers in Melbourne, Australia. The program is run by Nathan Chapman, a former Australian rules footballer and NFL punter, and John Smith, who kicked for the New England Patriots from 1974 to 1983.

Campbell, Evans' roommate last year, said there was a culture shock for Evans at first, but he's helped him learn the ropes of college football. Teegardin said understanding the game and becoming more comfortable in his role were factors in Evans' transition in year one, and now he's challenging Evans to recognize opposing defensive schemes.

"From last year to this year, [Evans] has matured drastically," Campbell said. "He’s kicking the ball much better, he’s taking a lot better care of himself physically, limiting his reps and really focusing on technique. I’ve been really proud of him and how much he’s progressed.”

Return Game

D.J. Matthews tore his ACL returning a punt in Indiana's Week 4 win at Western Kentucky in 2021, but he said he's fully healthy and ready to go for the 2022 season. Matthews had an 81-yard punt-return touchdown in Indiana's win over Idaho last season, and he was named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list, which is given to college football's most versatile player. 

"I’m super excited to be out there with my brothers," Matthews said. "It’s been a long time coming, almost a year now, so I’m super excited. All glory to God, and I’m just thankful I have another opportunity to go out there and display my talent and not waste God’s talent."

It's also possible to see speedy freshman running back Jaylin Lucas returning punts after receiving praise from coaches and teammates for an impressive fall camp. He's listed as the backup punt returner on Indiana's first depth chart release, which should be taken with a grain of salt. 

Jacolby Hewitt was Indiana's leader in kick returns last season – 10 returns for 226 yards with a 72-yard return against Idaho – but he transferred to Florida International, creating an open competition. In Indiana's first depth chart, redshirt freshman running back David Holloman was listed as the starting kick returner with Auburn running back transfer Shaun Shivers as the backup. 

Holloman returned three kicks for 66 yards last season, and defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald is the only other returning Hoosier with kick-return experience in 2021. Shivers returned 14 kicks for 233 yards across four seasons at Auburn.

Related stories on Indiana football:

• BIELEMA TALKS INDIANA MATCHUP: Illinois defeated Wyoming 38-6 in Week 0, and now the Illini will begin Big Ten play on the road at Indiana on Friday night. Here's what coach Bret Bielema said about the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE
• TIGHT END POSITION PREVIEW: With the loss of Peyton Hendershot and Matt Bjorson, Indiana will look to AJ Barner to step up as the leader of the tight ends room, coached by Kevin Wright. CLICK HERE
• WIDER RECEIVER POSITION PREVIEW: Indiana lost its top two receivers from 2021 – Ty Fryfogle and Miles Marshall – and coach Grant Heard left for UCF. D.J. Matthews returns to Indiana after tearing his ACL in week four, Donaven McCulley is making the switch from quarterback to receiver, and transfers Cam Camper and Emery Simmons have stood out in fall camp. CLICK HERE