The 2025 All-Big Ten teams won’t be announced until the week after Indiana’s game at Purdue, but we’re using the bye week to take the opportunity to assess which Hoosiers are worthy of consideration for league honors.
Because IU’s offense is so explosive, field goal kicker Nico Radicic doesn’t get a lot of opportunities. 14 other Big Ten kickers have more attempts. But he certainly comes through for the Hoosiers when his number is called.
Radicic is a perfect 13 of 13 on field goals and 62 of 62 on extra points this season. He is the only Big Ten kicker who is perfect on field goals, and he leads the entire league in scoring with 101 points. If he stays perfect through the Purdue game, there’s a strong argument Radicic should be the first team All-Big Ten kicker.
A 5-foot-11 redshirt sophomore from Texas, Radicic has played a key role in Indiana’s three closest games — all in very difficult road environments.
At Iowa his two field goals were the difference in the game in a 20-15 IU win. And they weren’t chip shots. He made a 46-yarder right before halftime to give the Hoosiers momentum, and he made a 44-yarder in the fourth quarter to tie the game with less than 10 minutes remaining.
At Oregon Radicic provided the bookends for the IU scoring. With the crowd roaring at Autzen Stadium he made a 42-yard kick to give Indiana a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. And he made a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter to silence the crowd for good, making the margin two-possessions with 2:06 left — effectively ending Oregon’s chance to rally.
Radicic’s kicks weren’t long at Penn State, but they were once again the difference in the game in a very difficult road environment. He made a 28-yard kick to give IU a 10-7 lead in the second quarter, and his 31-yard third quarter field goal gave IU a 20-7 lead. The Hoosiers would go on to win 27-24.
Giving Radicic the first team All-Big Ten kicker award would be something of a career acknowledgement as well.
Radicic has made 24 of 25 field goals for his three-year career, and he’s a perfect 133 of 133 on extra points. He has scored a total of 205 points over the last three years. His lone field goal miss came in the snow last year against Purdue. He also made clutch field goals last season vs. Michigan and Notre Dame.
There is tough competition for the first team nod. USC’s Ryon Sayeri is certainly a worthy contender. But it’s clear Radicic should receive some level of recognition.
COULD ANY OTHER IU SPECIAL TEAMERS WIN LEAGUE HONORS?
Radicic seems like a lock to end up on one of the All-Big Ten teams. What about his teammates on special teams?
If the Big Ten follows last year’s approach, they’ll recognize first through third team kickers, punters, return specialists and long snappers. Several players also received honorable mention a year ago.
Although he’s only played in eight games, Brendan Franke has the second-highest touchback percentage in the Big Ten at 90.2%. Franke also made a 58-yard bomb of a field goal at Oregon — a kick he had to make twice because of a timeout called just before he successfully converted the first try. He tied an IU record for longest field goal with that kick.
Long-snapper Mark Langston has not had a bad snap that we’re aware of this year while playing for one of the league’s best teams in several high pressure situations. Curt Cignetti has said he places a lot of value on the role and called Langston “as good as there is in the country.” So he’s certainly worthy of consideration as well.
Punt returner Jonathan Brady has the second-most punt return yards (315) and third-highest punt return average (17.5). He returned a punt for a touchdown in the season-opener. That might be enough for him to earn some level of recognition.
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