MCCORDSVILLE — Other youngsters had dreams of running or throwing the football in the National Football League, Logan Justus wanted to kick it.
“This has been my dream since I was a little kid,” Justus said. “Other kids always wanted to be a quarterback and a running back, but since I can remember I have always wanted to be a kicker.”
He is getting close to fulfilling that dream.
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Considered one of the top kickers available in this week’s NFL draft, the former Mt. Vernon High School and Indiana University kicker believes he’ll either be a late round draft choice or sign a post-draft free agent deal.
The seven-round draft began Thursday and will wrap up today, beginning at noon, with rounds 4-7.
According to various NFL draft projection websites, Justus is ranked as high as No. 3 among available kickers (drafttek.com). Mostly, he was rated between No. 8 to No. 12 for his position. CBSsports.com has him at No. 11. FanDuel.com ranks the former Marauder and Hoosier kicker No. 8.
Justus said no less than 10 teams have shown interest, though he declined on getting specific to which organizations had given the attention.
An Indiana North-South All-Star following his senior year with the Marauders, Justus has come a long way since walking on at Indiana University. After a redshirt season in 2015 and watching from the sidelines in 2016 and 2017, he got an opportunity to kick for the Hoosiers in his 2018 junior-eligible year.
He knew it would be rare for a kicker to get a scholarship offer right after high school.
“As a kicker, you have to earn it,” he said.
That’s exactly what he went on to do.
He received second-team All-Big 10 honors from the league coaches, was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to college football’s top kicker, and named IU’s Most Outstanding Specialist of the Year.
He went 15-of-18 on field goals with a long of 44, connected on 32-of-33 PATs, and had five multi-field goal games.
After his stellar junior season, he went from walk-on to scholarship player. He backed up his junior campaign with a strong senior year, earning another second-team All-Big 10 selection as well as being named a semifinalist for the second straight year for the Groza Award.
This past fall, he hit 17-of-21 field goals, with a long of 50, while connecting on 45-of-47 extra points. Again, he had five multi-field goal games. He became just the 11th Hoosier kicker to connect on a 50-yarder.
He leaves IU as its all-time leader in field goal percentage (82.1 percent), hitting 32-of-39 for his career. He graduated in December with a degree in exercise science.
“I knew going to IU I’d have to probably wait to get an opportunity,” Justus said. “It took time and I learned from the kickers that were before me. Every day you have to compete to be on the team at a Big 10 school.
“Mentally, it’s hard sometimes waiting to be on the field. When I got my chance I didn’t want to waste it.”
Justus said he went to IU because he wanted to stay close to home and go to a big school.
“I knew my competitive nature and I wanted to play at the biggest school I could and chase my dream of being an NFL kicker,” the McCordsville native said.
He merited his spot as one of the nation’s top collegiate kickers, now he wants to the same at the next level, being one of the NFL’s 32.
With national restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Justus wasn’t able to host a Pro Day for scouts to come to Bloomington nor travel to the cities of interested teams.
He created a running, unedited video to take the place of Pro Day and sent it out to all 32 teams.
“They know my stats and I was trying to get as much information and film out there to teams so they could see I was a hard worker,” he said.
The video included him kicking extra-points and field goals, along with kickoffs. The left-footed kicker went 12-of-12 on field goal attempts with a long of 58 yards.
Distance has always been a big deal to the young kicker. His mother, Dawn Justus, recalled when Logan was a soccer goalkeeper, he strove for the longest goal kicks.
“He always wanted to kick it way passed the midfielders to the forwards,” she said. “Until it went farther than the previous kick it wasn’t good enough.”
Growing up playing football, Logan played positions other than kicker, but it was kicking that he grew a great passion for.
“I love that pressure,” he said. “It’s all about the details and execution.”
Logan said he’ll be watching the draft all weekend with his family.
Like any prospective draftee, he would prefer getting that call and seeing his name pop up on ESPN’s national coverage of the event, but he’ll take any opportunity to get that left foot in the door of an NFL facility.
“I’m so excited,” he said. “This is one of the best things in my life and it’ll be something I will always remember and I want to spend this once in a lifetime experience with my family.
“I’ve talked with teams, but I have no idea (where I might end up). I’d love to get an opportunity and I’ll be ready when the time comes. It’s in God’s hands.”
And when that time comes, he’ll have chased down that long-time goal.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Dawn Justus added. “He’s worked hard. Not many kids get to follow their dream. To get that opportunity is special.”
