Indiana needs to replace a fixture at punter, and they are going to the same part of the world to get that done.
New Zealand based punter James Evans announced on Sunday morning U.S. time that he had committed to the IU football program on a full scholarship.
Evans made the announcement on his Twitter page.
Hugely excited to announce that I have accepted a full scholarship to study and play football at Indiana University.
Massive thank you to @JohnnyPKA @ProkickAus @ConquestCQ @CoachAllenIU @CoachTee34 @Coach_RMAC @haydonw123#LEO #Committed pic.twitter.com/2BZGEhXYy7— James Evans (@james8evans) May 17, 2020
Indiana has gone back to a reliable source to find Evans. He trains at ProKick Australia, the same academy that brought current IU punter Haydon Whitehead to Bloomington.
Evans paid homage to Whitehead in his Twitter post, saying “Can’t wait to be a Hoosier come January and follow in the footsteps of the great Haydon Whitehead.” According to the post, Evans will early at IU in January.
Whitehead is a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. He averaged a career-high 42.5 yards per punt in 2019 and was fifth in the country in percentage of kicks that were downed inside the opponents 10-yard line. The 2020 season will be Whitehead’s final with IU after receiving an extra year of eligibility to participate in the upcoming season.
Former IU punter Tyson Beattie (2003-2006) also hailed from Down Under, coming to the program from Australia.
Evans hails from Auckland, New Zealand. He becomes the seventh commit for Indiana in the class of 2021.
You can find more information on all of the members of the class and other IU football related information here.
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