Indiana doesn’t usually need much from its kicker until the moment it absolutely does. That’s what makes Nico Radicic such a crucial piece of the puzzle.
The position can be easy to overlook on a football team. Kickers rarely pile up snaps, but when the game hangs on one kick, nobody’s role feels bigger. Radicic has already lived that reality for Indiana, and he’s turned it into a source of confidence for Curt Cignetti.
That trust showed up in the 2026 National Championship game against Miami. Indiana led by three with 1:47 remaining and faced fourth-and-4 from the 17-yard line.
Cignetti sent out the field goal unit, and Radicic knocked through a 35-yard kick to make it a six-point game. Indiana then held on for a 27-21 win.
The decision wasn’t just about one kick in one game. It reflected the kind of consistency Radicic has built since Cignetti arrived in Bloomington before the 2024 season. He has made all 156 of his extra point attempts and has gone 28 for 30 on field goals in that span.
That reliability is a big reason Indiana can keep leaning on him in the biggest spots, and Cignetti made his feelings clear before the 2026 season even got rolling.
“Nico is money in the bank,” Cignetti said Aug. 31.
“He’s really focused. His technique is good.
He’s had a great fall camp.”
Radicic also has a bigger individual target in mind. With two years of eligibility left, he’s chasing a college football record. If he keeps his field goal percentage above 90 percent and reaches 45 career attempts, he would become the most accurate kicker in college football history.
There’s still one area he wants to see more of in 2026: longer field goal chances. Last season, Cignetti sometimes turned to Brendan Franke in those spots, including a 58-yard make at the end of the first half against Oregon on Oct. 11.
“I’d say I’m comfortable right now anywhere on the other side of the 50-yard line,” Radicic said Aug. 26 on kicking long field goals. “It’s the big boss’ decision upstairs on who’s going to take those…I think I’ve done a lot to be the name called.”
If he can expand that range without losing the accuracy that’s already made him so dependable, Radicic could put himself in position for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation’s top placekicker. He was already named to the watch list for the award in August.
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