2021 Specialists to Watch in Indiana

Specialists often fly under the radar until they kick a game winning FG or make a mistake.  That being said, they are some of the most important players in the game and deserve recognition.  Here are 7 special teams players from Indiana that you should have on your radar! &nbsp; <ul> <li>P [player_tooltip player_id="38999" first="Grayden" last="Addison"] - Noblesville</li> </ul> Rated 5 stars and the #21 punting prospect in the nation by Kohl’s kicking.  Grayden has a big time leg and is capable of changing the game with his ability to win the field position battle for his team. He had one massive punt in particular that really caught my eye. It went down as a 73 yarder in the stat book, but when you look at the ball from foot to when it was downed at the 1 yard line... The ball traveled an incredible 70 yards in the air, 84 yards total, and had a 4.3 second hang time.  When you have the ability to bail your team out of poor field position and flip the field like that, you can literally change a game.  On the year he averaged an impressive 41.7 yards on 58 punts including 14 downed inside the 20. <ul> <li>LS [player_tooltip player_id="38947" first="Jaxon" last="Miller"] -Triton Central</li> </ul> The Army football commit has been awarded 5 stars by Kornblue kicking where he is also rated the #1 underclassmen long snapper in the country.  To be #1 in the entire nation in anything is no small feat and a testament to how hard he works on his craft.  He is a technician, accurate, and has good clean zip on his ball.  At 6’2" 240 pounds, he has the size and athleticism to run down the field and cover at a high level... An under-rated trait when it comes to evaluating a long snapper.  Jaxon is also a heck of a linebacker for Central. <ul> <li>K Spencer Hanna - Carmel</li> </ul> With an impressive combination of accuracy and leg strength, Hanna has been a reliable weapon for the Greyhounds.  According to his Kohl’s kicking profile, he was 21/27 on FG’s and 78/78 on XP’s the past two seasons.  That includes long balls of 43, 43, 42, and 41.  Not missing a single extra point in 2 seasons when you have kicked 78 of them is almost unheard of at any level. Spencer has a great ball strike and gets a lot of height on his ball which makes it hard to block.  One of the biggest things I used to look for when recruiting kickers was their ability to perform on a big stage... The last thing you want is for a kicker to panic when you need them most.  Spencer has played in a number of big games at Carmel and that is a major plus. <ul> <li>K Liam Shepherd - Valparaiso</li> </ul> Rated 4.5 stars by Chris Sailer kicking, Shepherd was 8/11 on FG’s last year with a long of 38 yards according to his kicker profile.  A kicker may appear to lack major leg strength when you don’t see a big long ball number, but that is far from the case.  Liam made a name for himself at the Sailer kicking camp by hitting a 57 yard FG off the turf to win the long FG competition against 60 top kickers from across the nation.  He also made kicks of 40, 45, 50, and 55 yards at the same camp.  It is important to note that he did it off the ground, because that is an area that can make or break a kicker when transitioning to the college level.  If there is one thing that gets college coaches excited about a kicker, its a big leg, and Shepherd brings that to the table. <ul> <li>K/P Leyton Czarnecki - LaVille</li> </ul> The ability to both kick and punt is something that college coaches love when recruiting specialists. Leyton brings that along with a big leg to the table.  Typically a combo specialist is considerably better at either kicking or punting, but Leyton does both at a high level.  The reason college coaches love combo specialists comes down to roster space and scholarship money... When you can get a two for one specialist, it allows a lot more flexibility with your roster.  Leyton hit a 46 yard FG in a game last year and it probably could have hit from 5+ yards further.  He had a long punt of 63 yards, and also had a single game with 9 touchbacks on kickoffs (wow).  I really like his upside as a college prospect because he is already getting a lot of distance on the ball... Once he gets in a college weight/meal program, he has a chance to become an even bigger weapon. <ul> <li>K Austin Watson - Center Grove</li> </ul> Austin was Jr All-State performer while going 34/35 on PAT’s and 15/19 on FG’s with a long of 48. He is praised for his work ethic and is always improving his craft.  Has a violent leg swing and gets great height on his ball. The velocity at which the ball comes off of his foot is one thing that really stands out when watching his highlight and training film.  Distance and accuracy are the two things that kickers get judged on most, but the velocity is important when it comes to prospects kicking the ball in the often poor weather conditions we experience in the midwest.  The quicker the ball can cut through the wind in poor conditions, the less chance it has of getting blown off target.  Austin is a prospect with a lot of upside and has the potential to be a scholarship college kicker. <ul> <li>P [player_tooltip player_id="39030" first="John" last="McCall"] - Hamilton Southeastern</li> </ul> John is probably better known for his play on defense, but I wanted to put him on this list because he is a heck of a punter as well.  His punt average of 46.3 yards (long of 65) last season becomes even more impressive when you consider that John spends the majority of his practice time working on defense, while many specialists get to use that time for kicking. That alone tells you a lot about his natural ability and athleticism.  Every college coach loves a specialist that is a big time athlete to boot.  With long levers and great size, he could potentially be a punter at a high level as well. &nbsp;