From Australia to Bloomington: Mitch McCarthy's long road to Indiana

The first time Mitch McCarthy came to America, he brought a basketball. The second time, he brought a dream — and a booming right leg.

He’s 6-foot-5 with a cannon for a leg, a thick Australian accent and a story that reads more like a movie script than a stat sheet.

McCarthy is Indiana football’s newest punter, a senior transfer from UCF by way of Melbourne, Australia, whose path to Bloomington has been anything but straightforward.

He has traveled halfway around the world — twice — and walked away from one sport, two jobs and a professional football career in his homeland just to get where he is now.

“I was a basketball player before I was a footballer,” McCarthy said, cracking a smile. “I definitely knew about the Hoosiers. It’s very exciting [to be here].”

He’s not wrong. It’s a little poetic. The Australian kid who once dreamed of playing basketball in America — whose first hoops offer came from Valparaiso — is now punting for Indiana.

He’s back in the Hoosier State, just in a different uniform and playing a different sport.

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First Trip to the U.S.

McCarthy first landed in the U.S. in 2015, still a teenager, hoping to make a splash playing high school basketball in California. At the time, he was chasing a different kind of American dream — one that involved hardwood, not hash marks.

But the transition wasn’t easy.

“The first time it got tough, I kind of bailed,” McCarthy said. “In hindsight, that wasn’t the right thing to do, but I was a 17-year-old kid.”

Homesick, disillusioned and missing his family, McCarthy left after six months and returned to Australia. That decision — made by a teenager navigating culture shock and the weight of ambition — felt like a failure at the time. But it planted a seed. His journey wasn’t over.

Back Home

When McCarthy returned to Australia, he didn’t just go back to school — he went pro.

In 2016, he was selected seventh overall in the AFL Rookie Draft. But after a few years of playing Australian rules football, he wasn’t fulfilled. His dreams still pointed west.

So he worked — for six years. McCarthy spent time with a plumbing company and also did disability support work.

Those six years gave him perspective — and grit. They also gave him the clarity to finally go all in on American football.

That’s when Prokick Australia entered the picture.

The Prokick Connection

Founded in 2007, Prokick is Australia’s premier punting pipeline to the United States. The program transforms Aussie footballers into American specialists.

Indiana fans may recognize the name from another standout from Down Under — James Evans, who punted for IU from 2021 to 2024.

“[Prokick] does prepare you,” McCarthy said. “They’ve sent so many people over. They know what it takes to get here and be successful.”

Though McCarthy and Evans didn’t know each other personally, they followed each other on social media.

Their first real conversation came when McCarthy visited Bloomington on a recruiting trip. Evans helped show him the ropes.

“He’s kind of helped me, introduced me to the program and what’s OK and what’s not,” McCarthy said. “He’s been good for me.”

A New Landing Spot

After two seasons at UCF, McCarthy entered the transfer portal as soon as the Knights were eliminated from bowl contention. One destination stood out.

McCarthy said Indiana’s strong 2024 season stood out to him, but the Prokick connection played a big role, too.

Now, he’s here — tall, poised and ready. But this time, it’s different. This time, he’s not a 17-year-old unsure of his footing. He’s 27, battle-tested and back in the States with purpose.

“This time coming around, I just had the knowledge and the wisdom that comes with six years — and this sounds funny — of working a real job,” McCarthy said. “I grabbed it with two hands.”

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What’s Next

As McCarthy enters his final season of college football, the focus isn’t on power — it’s on control.

“My biggest thing that I’ve been working on is swinging less,” he said. “When you try to overkick, usually you mishit it. I’ve been backing off to about 70 percent. You still get the result you want, but you can be a lot more compact and consistent instead of trying to kick the leather off the ball.”

Consistency is everything for punters. And after over a decade of inconsistency in his own journey, McCarthy has finally found his rhythm — on the field and off it.

He still keeps tabs on basketball from afar, and there’s a part of him that can’t help but think about Assembly Hall every time he passes it on campus.

He hasn’t made it to an Indiana basketball game yet, but the punter, long removed from his basketball days, has a plan.

“I think I’d airball the first few,” he said with a laugh. “I can’t remember the last time I picked up a basketball and shot it. But that’s something that’s on the bucket list while I’m here — get to a game and shoot around on the court. That’d be awesome.”

Until then, he’ll keep doing what he came here to do — flip fields, change games and give Indiana an edge in the battle of field position. And maybe, just maybe, add another chapter to the growing legacy of Aussie punters chasing something bigger in America.

For McCarthy, the detours were worth it. The tough decisions, the long flights, the years spent away from the game — they all led him here.

Now, all he has to do is put that booming right leg to use.