The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed punter James Evans to the practice squad on Tuesday.
James Evans is six foot one and weighs 217 pounds. The 24-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand, was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the second round (17th pick) of the 2025 CFL Global Draft. In 2025, he punted the ball six times for 272 yards (45.3 AVG) with a long of 56 yards in two preseason games. He was released on June 1, 2025.
Collegiately, Evans played four seasons at Indiana (2021-24) punting the ball 246 times for 10,771 yards (43.8 AVG), with a long of 73 yards, 12 touchbacks, 66 fair catches, 74 from inside the 20-yard line, 69 from 50-plus yards, and one carry for -23 yards in 50 games for the Hoosiers. He was named a two-time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and Third Team All-Big Ten in 2023.
In 2024, he punted the ball 36 times for 1,528 yards (42.4 AVG), with a long of 58 yards, 12 fair catches, 11 from inside the 20-yard line, eight from 50-plus yards, and one carry for -23 yards in 13 games.
He played rugby and squash in high school and was trained under Nathan Chapman and John Smith at Prokick Australia, a training ground for punters and kickers in Melbourne.
